


But I'm A Cheerleader!

by artificialmillie



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: AU, Cheerleader AU, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, High School AU, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, artificialqueens, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2018-11-29 12:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 60,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11440560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artificialmillie/pseuds/artificialmillie
Summary: After an unexpected event occurs one night, RuPaul's Glamazons cheerleader Aja finds herself as a witness to a crime. The worst part? Default rival from the B-52 Bombers, Farrah Moan, is at the centre of it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (originally posted on artificialqueens)
> 
> An AU based on the cheerleading challenge of season 9. I'm trying to loosely correlate the queens with their characters in the challenge, although it's a little cringe-y in the beginning. No links to the film with the same name.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RuPaul's Glamazons and the B-52 Bombers are at the final practice before the first game of the football season, and excitement is brewing in the air. But despite that, conflicts still somehow arise.

"I'm Aja; I'm sassy!"

"I'm Nina; I'm assy!"

"I'm Shea; I'm flirty!"

"I'm Sasha; I'm dirty!"

"I'm Charlie; I'm boozy!"

"I'm Jaymes; I'm snoozy...!"

"I'm Alexis... and I'm a floozy!"

All the girls had opened out into a triangle, Alexis staged right in the middle with three girls either side of her. They all sported short, purple, pleated skirts with tight-fitting shirts, and of course their signature white bows atop their heads. The RuPaul Glamazons had come to slay this football season.

"We are RuPaul's Glamazons, got our cheering panties on," they chanted in perfect unison. "Our beat is unstoppable; our hair is unclockable!" After their short chant they skipped away for the B-52 Bombers to take the floor in their almost matching uniforms. Bitches.

This rivalry had lasted almost two years. Both teams attended the same school, Tuckahoe High School, and most only joined the cheerleading squad to get a front-row view of the star football players. God, they were hot. All the girls had a particularly good time on the football field, except they were in the gym hall today for their final practice. Tomorrow they were debuting their new cheers in support of the guys as they battled it out for the winning prize - bragging rights. Oh, and a trophy.

"Alright, work it, work it, alright!" the Bombers chanted, clapping their hands together and walking - except Farrah, who was skipping - to the centre to begin. Their red-orange outfits were stoned for the Gods, despite Kimora's lengthy complaining and telling them "stoning is for ugly girls". Instead of white bows they rocked orange ones, and their hair was voluminous and tied back instead of loose and wild like the Glamazons'. 

"B-52 Bombers, let's go!" Cynthia, who was the leader of the team, shouted. She had competed the longest, and was no stranger to a football game. She led the Bombers with professionalism and poise. 

"I'm Cu-Cu; I'm naughty!"

"I'm Kimora; I'm slutty!"

"I'm Eureka; I'm wacky!"

"I'm Trinity; I'm tacky!"

"I'm Farrah; I'm thorny!"

"I'm Peppermint; I'm corny!"

"I'm Valentina - I'm also corny!" The Glamazons giggled at her from the side of the gym. 

"Our lobsters are rocking, our love is in the shack; we're roaming 'cause we wanna, so haters step back!" they shouted together. Their cheer didn't even make that much sense - the Glamazons were ready to strike back.

"B-50-who? Not as cool as Ru. RuPaul is more fierce than Kate could ever be. More woman than Fred and more man than Cindy!" They clapped their pom-poms together and smirked as the Bombers took great offense to their chant. But they weren't afraid to be just as rude.

"RuPaul is shameless, selling candy bars and more. She even had a perfume and it was called Whore!" The Bombers erupted into laughter at their enemies' shocked faces, but they weren't expecting what was coming next.

"Your beehives - busted! Your songs are too slow. You should go retire in a private Ida... hoooooe." They shook their asses and their pom-poms in mockery, with Charlie, Alexis, and Nina shouting at them through big plastic horns. Both teams exchanged glares, but before any violence (which happened surprisingly often) could ensue, the main football commentator was reading his lines and forcing them on to the tumbling. 

Everyone got into formation, most of them at the back doing stunts and a few at the sides for when it was their turn for their solo. Every season they were sadly forced to work together to produce show-stopping performances, although it wasn't like many people were watching them - the footballers were always the centre of attention. Nonetheless, they enjoyed what they did. 

Kimora stepped forward to do a weak cartwheel and roll, followed by Peppermint doing a handspring. At the back, Alexis, Shea, and Sasha were propped up by their team and competitors, extending their arms fabulously. Eureka cartwheeled in front of them, wowing everyone as she landed in a perfect split. The Glamazons gossiped between themselves, although not in mock, but in amazement. Just as she landed, Shea was sprung into the air and landed flawlessly in her teammates' arms, taking everyone aback with her calibre. 

Valentina did a one-handed cartwheel, a roly poly, and another cartwheel, with perfect poise. Despite only doing cheerleading for ten months, she was beginning to outshine some of her teammates, which they were not taking lightly.

Charlie flopped at her cartwheel - being boozy and all, she was probably still a little drunk from the night before - and was joined by Sasha who stood on her hands as Jaymes rolled through the pair. At the back, Cynthia fell forwards into her teammates' arms, and then was propelled again to head to the other side, all while keeping a cheery smile on her face. Luckily she was light, so it wasn't much of an effort to keep her in the air. Now it was Shea's solo, in which she flipped cartwheeled, and landed in a split with a sly grin on her face - a beautiful ending to the tumbling package. The commentator spoke again, and they were on to the group dance.

With Valentina and Shea at the front, and Cynthia in the centre, everyone extended their arms and jumped in the air twice. They moved their arms and legs in compelling ways, all fuelled with enthusiasm and smiles on their faces. Eventually they parted and danced together in their own teams, beginning to lift Valentina and Aja into the air before they jumped. 

"5, 6, 7, 8," Sasha started, encouraging everyone to join in. 

"Glamazons, Bombers, the battle rages on. This cheer ain't over, now bring it on!" everyone chanted. By now, everyone was in their positions for the stunting. Ready to stunt were Farrah, Trinity, Aja, and Shea, all confident with smiles on their faces, even Trinity, who was scared of heights. When they were at peak height they all extended their arms in a V-shape and propped up one leg. As soon as they were up they were back down again, and they moved into a new formation. Valentina and Jaymes were down at the front, with Alexis and Charlie supporting Shea with their legs not far behind. At the back were the other girls, keeping Farrah and Aja in the air who were supporting a shaky Trinity standing highest of all. At last, they'd finished their lengthy performance, and it'd definitely pay off tomorrow. 

The girls separated and gathered together in their own teams, beginning to talk between themselves. Most of the time it was just bitching about the opposite team, but today it was happy discussions about the next day. Like every final rehearsal, there was fear laced with excitement, but most of all, happiness. After weeks and weeks of endless practising, there was finally a relief from all the hard work. 

"So, guys," Charlie began with a smile on her face. "What about a party tonight? To celebrate that we've finally finished."

"Trust you to suggest a party," Aja joked. "It's not like you host them every weekend."

"What? It'll be fun. I'm inviting all the footballers - even the ones that those skanks over there are rooting for."

"I'm down," Alexis said. 

"Me too," Shea agreed. 

"They probably have, like, ten million diseases. Half of them have probably slept with the Bombers," Sasha argued. Everyone nodded in agreement. 

"So?" Charlie responded as if there was something obvious they'd missed. "It'll make them jealous."

"If it makes you happy, I'll come," Nina said. "Jaymes?"

Jaymes jumped as if she'd been asleep, and nodded. "Charlie's parties aren't half bad."

With a few people giving in, the rest of the group eventually did too. Perhaps it was a bad idea to have a party right before a tournament, but that wasn't on their minds at this moment in time. Doing anything to spite the Bombers was, and they were going to do just that.

"PSA: it's a white party," Charlie said. "Come dressed accordingly."

"Why's it gotta be white?" Nina said.

"Why not?"

"Shouldn't we come dressed in purple? Since that's our team colour," Aja countered.

"Whatever. Just be there at 9pm."

-

Even before she entered the house, the stench of alcohol had weaved its way into Aja's nose. House and dance music was being blasted from inside, the bass booming through the walls so you could even feel it. From the looks of it, most people had already arrived, despite it only being 9:08pm. She peered through the window to see a bunch of footballers crowding round Shea, and the rest of the Glamazons drinking from red solo cups and/or admiring the boys. Just as Charlie said, the Bombers footballers were there too. 

Aja knocked at the door, and was greeted by a tipsy Charlie.

"Aja! Come in," she said simply, grabbing her wrist and pulling her inside; it took all of her willpower not to barf at the smell of vodka that stained the air. 

Inside were almost all the Glamazons and the footballers from both sides. She could sense all their gazes roaming her body, as she'd chosen a short, black latex dress that was not the most conservative. She paired her look with her cheer bow that lay on top of her freshly curled pastel purple hair, showing patriotism for her team. 

"Where's Jaymes?" Aja asked. 

"Probably sleeping," Sasha said. "I don't think she's a party girl."

"Her loss," Alexis said. "We have this whole night to dance away!"

Everyone nodded in agreement and Charlie turned the music up, if it was even possible for it to be louder. The girls resumed their dancing and drinking and the guys resumed their grinding, and they got on with the party. 

Not even an hour later, there was a furious knock at the door. By then, everyone was too drunk to be concerned, but got up to answer the door anyway. Charlie opened the door with a smile, which faltered when she saw who was standing right in front of her. 

Farrah Moan, with the rest of the B-52 Bombers slithering up behind her. 

"You just had to have it your way, didn't you?" Farrah accused, glaring at Charlie. 

"What do you mean?" Charlie played innocent, although her badly performed facade was scrapped when a bunch of footballers came to the door to see what the commotion was. 

"Inviting our footballers to your shitty party."

"They're not yours. They're their own people."

Farrah scrunched up her face in a scowl, opening her mouth as if to say something, but then closing it again. Charlie did have a point. 

"Look, I see what you sluts are trying to do -" Eureka started, but was cut off. 

"Can you shut up a second?" Charlie demanded. "This is our party. Join us peacefully or leave."

And so they left, quickly defeated, and thé Glamazons continued their party. 

-

The next day at school was filled with glares from both sides, like two packs of wolves about to pounce. No one said a word to each other, but the looks being exchanged were enough to tell a thousand words. The footballers, however, seemed unfazed. After all, they had an important game tonight. 

"I trust you're ready for tonight?" Miss Visage found Aja in the corridor standing with Jaymes. Miss Visage was the deputy head teacher of the school, and always liked to be updated on students' progress, no matter what it was in. Miss RuPaul ran the school and was therefore too busy to talk to all the students, so Miss Visage silently took that role. However, it was Miss RuPaul's idea to start a cheerleading squad, RuPaul's Glamazons, which then led to the B-52 Bombers being born. The original squad took inspiration from the 80s band, which the current squad had now ditched for twerking, rudeness, and chasing after the footballers.

"Of course," Jaymes said, smiling brightly. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Aja nodded in agreement.

"Good. I know you girls will make us proud."

"Are you rooting for the RuPaul's Glamazons, Miss Visage?" Aja asked, smirking.

"Oh, you girls know I'm not allowed to have favourites," she said with a wink. "But good luck." She walked away. Aja and Jaymes smiled to each other, confidence beginning to grow inside both of them. 

-

Cheering and screaming erupted through the crowds, signifying that it was 6:30pm - the game was about to begin. The Glamazons and the Bombers organised themselves into their positions, sharing a few glances here and there, and smiled widely at the crowd surrounding the pitch. 

"Glamazons, Bombers - welcome to the starting match of the ninth season of Tuckahoe Football!" Mr. Mathews, the commentator, announced. "Are you ready?!"

The crowd cheered and whistled, some chanting the teams' names. Excitement grew inside each of the cheerleaders' stomachs. Mr. Mathews blew the whistle, and the game started.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the Glamazons briefly touch on their issues that night, Aja reflects on some problems of her own. Little does she know, she's about to gain another one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to mention, there is a mugging scene in this chapter so read with caution. It's not explicit or anything, just a prewarning.

"We did amazing!" Shea exclaimed. After ninety minutes of jumping around and shouting, their "debut performance" was finally over with. For the next few weeks they would perform it again and again until this year's Footballer Of The Year was crowned. Cheerleader Of The Year was also awarded, but mocked by the rest of the school. To the majority of students at Tuckahoe High School, cheerleading was something ridiculous. 

It was now 8:30pm, and the Glamazons were heading back to Nina's house to relax after the long day. Adrenaline was still coursing through their veins and the cheering from the crowd was ringing in their ears. Whether it was for them or not, it definitely felt good. 

"I think that's our best performance so far," Alexis said.

Nina unlocked her door and the cheerleaders walked inside. "Agreed. I just hope it's on the same level for the next few weeks," she said. She led them all upstairs to her bedroom, where they crowded on to her bed, somehow managing to fit all seven people. 

"So," Jaymes started. "Who do you think is winning Cheerleader Of The Year?"

"Already?" Sasha asked. 

"Yeah!" Jaymes said. "I mean, we've seen everyone performing these past few weeks. I'd say it's safe to say who we think's the best."

"I think it could be Valentina," Alexis said. "She's very talented."

"What about Shea?" Sasha suggested. "I think she has a shot." Shea blushed and smiled back at her. 

"Definitely a tie between them," Aja said. 

"Aww, you guys are too kind," Shea replied. "Just kidding - I know I could win." Everyone laughed, and Sasha slapped her playfully on the shoulder. 

"The Bombers have so many talented girls," Jaymes said with a hint of disappointment. "Maybe it's one of them."

"Don't doubt yourself," Aja assured. "Or our team. We're just as talented."

"Yeah," Nina chimed in. "I think every one of us could take that title for ourselves. Like, look at the past winners - they're a mix of Glamazons and Bombers. Anyone could take it."

Jaymes nodded. "I guess. It's just easy to doubt yourself."

"We all do it from time to time," Sasha said.

"Whether one of us wins or not, we should celebrate," Shea decided. "The Bombers can go fuck themselves, but we should be proud if one of them wins." Everyone nodded. 

"I'll be pissed if Valentina gets it," Aja admitted, making every girls' head turn. "We all know the whole school loves her, and here we are, juniors and seniors, being outshone by a freshman. Even Cynthia's taken a fall from it, and she's the most experienced!" She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. 

"Beginners' luck?" Sasha responded tentatively. 

"More like most congenial."

"What did I just say? We should be proud," Shea said. "The girl's got talent, Aja."

"I guess." The lilac-haired girl gave in; she couldn't argue with facts. But after doing cheerleading for several years, it was tough to see a newbie doing better than her. All the other girls felt the same way, but wouldn't dare say anything. Aja had a more fiery side, which she got from her mother, and when she was stressed it was hard for her to control her emotions. She meant no harm, but she wasn't going to apologise for her feelings. 

Half an hour or so passed, and the girls resumed normal conversation, like the trade that roamed the football pitch that night. Gosh, those footballers just couldn't catch a break with half the school clawing after them. Alexis listed all the ones she'd slept with, with Shea joining in too, and Nina recounted a tale about a couple of the Bombers footballers checking her out. Aja just observed. Sometimes she'd laugh along and joke when they talked about boys, but most of the time she was silent, listening. Sometimes the other girls would ask her about her own experiences and she'd laugh it off and say she hadn't had any, which wasn't exactly false. She indeed hadn't had any experiences with boys. But how on earth was she going to tell those hectic heteros she played for the other team?

"I should get going," Jaymes said with a yawn. 

"Me too," Aja said. "My parents want me back by 9:30."

"Spoil sports; we were just about to ask you about boys," Charlie complained. "You don't tell us anything."

Aja stood up and grabbed her phone, sticking it in the side of her skirt. "So?" she said defensively. 

"Do you get trade or not?" Sasha asked bluntly. 

Aja shuffled uncomfortably on the spot, trying to muster up a lame excuse. "Yeah." She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "Just not people you know," she lied. 

"Tell us who!" Alexis asked. 

"That's for me to know and you to find out." She winked at her. "Anyway, Jaymes, let's go." The others said goodbye to them both and, luckily, didn't ask any more questions. Jaymes opened the front door and they both left Nina's house, the cold spring air shocking them both. 

"You know they're going to be pestering you for weeks, right?" Jaymes told Aja. 

"Yup," she replied. "But they'll get over it soon."

The rest of their journey home was almost silent. Jaymes didn't live too far away from Nina's house, but Aja's walk was more like a trek. She would be walking for at least twenty minutes through the suburbs of West Hollywood, depending on how fast she was walking, which would probably be slowly because of the ache in her now well-exercised and exhausted legs. With each step she became more and more tired, but her body pushed her forward almost automatically. 

After several minutes, Jaymes left to go into the warmth of her own home, while Aja continued walking. In the daytime it was quite pleasant: the sun would shine through the trees and cast beautiful patterns, children played outside on their front lawns, and you could actually see your surroundings. During the night the streetlights barely worked and most people stayed inside, and if you heard a child from a front lawn then you'd feel quite the opposite of safe. At least there was only a mile or so to go. She checked her phone: 9:17pm already. It felt like she'd only been at Nina's for a second. Only now was she beginning to regret the short skirt and sleeveless t-shirt that she had to wear for cheer. 

The wind started to blow harder, nipping at her exposed skin; the spring air wasn't supposed to be this cold. The whole atmosphere was giving Aja some creepy vibes, so she sped up her walk despite her hurting legs. She didn't know if she was shivering because of the cold or because of fear. 

Down the road, she heard shouting and a scream; she froze in her tracks. She would've felt bad if she continued walking, but she really needed to get home soon. Fuck it, she thought, there might have been someone in trouble. 

She made a sharp turn round the corner to where the commotion came from, and saw three dark figures moving around at the side of the convenience store. Two of them were shouting at the other, and even though Aja couldn't see them, they seemed terrified out of their mind. 

"Hey!" she shouted, running down the street. "What's going on?"

The two figures - two tall and gruff-looking men - looked up and turned around, something sharp in their hands glinting in the dim streetlights. They shared a look and silently decided to make a run for it. There was no point calling after them again - she didn't really fancy getting stabbed tonight. 

Aja sped up, practically sprinting, until she came to the spot behind the convenience store where the men stood. Standing in the shadows was the person they were shouting at, a girl slightly smaller than Aja. She stepped closer to the girl, trying to work out if she knew her, and heard her crying quietly. 

"Hey, there," Aja said. "You alright?"

The girl looked up, and she immediately recognised her in her Bombers uniform. 

It was Farrah. 

Never in a million years would a Glamazon help a Bomber, or vice versa, but this had to be an exception. The girl been mugged (or so it seemed); it would've been completely heartless to leave her. 

"Come here," Aja called out, extending her arm for Farrah to take her hand. She stepped out of the shadows and gazed over her clothes, recognising the shade of Glamazon purple. Still, she continued walking to the help she desperately needed. 

"Aja?" she questioned with a croaky voice. "Why are you here?"

"I was walking home from Nina's house and then I heard you screaming. What happened?" she asked. 

"Those two guys mugged me." She burst into a fresh wave of tears. "I don't have any money on me, or my bracelet, and my phone is smashed -"

"Farrah, calm down," Aja said as calmly as she could. She was freaking out, too. "Now, where do you live? I'll walk you back home."

"I... I can't go back home."

"Why not?"

"My mom's out... I don't feel safe home alone." Aja was going to ask why she was out so late when her mom wasn't home, but she decided she could save the questions for a later date. "Can I -? No, don't worry."

"No, you can say it," Aja said. 

"Would it be alright if I went back to yours? Just until my mom's back, obviously." 

This was bound to end badly. If Aja's friends found out she'd had a Bomber at her house, let alone helped one, then they'd seriously question her place on the team. The competition between them was so severe that they didn't even speak to each other outside rehearsals. But tonight, morals came before the team. Whether she would regret it or not later, she didn't know. But for now she was happy with her decision. 

"Sure," she replied. "Follow me." Farrah took hold of her outstretched hand and gripped it tightly, and walked alongside her. 

The rest of the journey was walked in silence, apart from the odd sniff from Farrah. Both of them were shivering violently as the wind blew hard at them. After what seemed like forever, they arrived at Aja's house, five minutes late, but her mom didn't care too much. 

"I'm having a... friend sleep over tonight!" she called into the living room as they walked up the stairs. Her mom was clearly too fixated on the TV to reply, so they continued walking. 

"Sorry, you'll have to sleep on the floor," she told Farrah. 

"That's fine," she replied, still teary-eyed. 

Aja sat down on the edge of her bed. "Do you want to talk about what happened?" she asked. 

Farrah shook her head. "You saw most of it it," she said. "There's not much to say."

"Did you get a good look of the guys who did it?"

She shook her head again. "All I know is they were tall, muscular, and kind of young. I didn't really expect people like them to do it."

"Okay. I'll get you a spare duvet and pillow. Again, sorry about you having to sleep on the floor."

"Again, that's fine. Your hospitality is enough."

Aja dug around the house to find spare things, trying to make sure Farrah's makeshift bed was comfortable enough. They were both still freezing, so she grabbed a couple of blankets too. Aja had a queen-sized bed that Farrah could fit in just fine, but she knew neither one of them would be comfortable with that. They were supposed to hate each other. 

It was a strange feeling, to have her sworn enemy in her house. And maybe she was just feeling sympathetic, but Farrah wasn't all that bad. It was a shame they'd have to pretend this never happened.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aja's conflicted feelings take up her day, and finds herself stuck with Farrah for a few moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will definitely be a slow-burner if you haven't guessed. Bear with me, because when the Farraja arrives it'll be worth the wait ;)

Okay, so Farrah wasn't really supposed to sleep over. But every time Aja looked at her, already fast asleep, she couldn't bear to wake her up and send her home. Her mom was probably back by now, since it was almost midnight. Aja couldn't sleep. All these thoughts were running through her head about what her team would think about this if they found out. Best case scenario: they didn't. Worst case scenario: she was exiled from the team. The guilt she felt towards her team was already eating her up, but if she'd left Farrah then a lot worse could've happened; it was lucky she got there when she did. 

Tomorrow, they'd have to act like nothing happened. They'd go back to their own friends and not say a word to each other. Experiences like this were supposed to bring people together, but this was just going to push them further apart. Not like a Glamazon would want to be friends with a Bomber, anyway. 

-

"Aja," Farrah whispered. "Aja."

Aja rolled over and checked her phone: 6:30am. Was she seriously being woken up this early? 

"What?!" she whispered back angrily. 

"I'm hungry," she replied. "And this is the time I normally eat."

"Seriously?! This early?"

"Yeah. Now, can we eat?"

Aja rolled over again and tried to block her out. There was no chance of her getting up before 7am, and a whiny Farrah was not going to change that. 

"Don't ignore me," Farrah pressed. 

"No one can ignore you with that highlighter," Aja replied, her voice muffled by her pillow. They were close to an argument. This was how it was supposed to be. 

"Please, I'm hungry. I'm practically starving."

"Fine, I'll get you some damn food! You can change into some stuff for school while I'm downstairs."

"But I have nothing to wear." She groaned exhaustedly. Aja had never known anyone so whiny. 

"Grab something of mine. The closet's over there." She pointed in the vague direction of where it stood. She shot out of bed and groggily trudged down the stairs and put a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster. After a couple of minutes it pinged and popped up, and she dumped one slice on each plate, not bothering to put anything on it. She dragged herself upstairs again. 

"Here's some toast," she said and handed Farrah the plate. She was dressed in a pair of Aja's blue jeans and a pink sweatshirt. 

"Thanks. And thank you for letting me stay last night." She took the toast. 

"No problem." 

"What will our friends say when they find out?" she asked. 

"They're not going to find out," Aja said sternly. This was a topic she was hoping to avoid. "We both know we shouldn't even be talking, let alone helping each other."

"But... I don't know."

"But nothing. We're leaving in twenty minutes."

-

It was break, and Aja hadn't seen Farrah since they arrived at school. For all she knew, the Bombers knew everything, and soon it'd make its way to the Glamazons. No, you overthinking this, she thought to herself. Farrah wouldn't. She knows what the teams are like. Her phone vibrated, forcing her out of her anxious bubble - she had a text. 

 

**_Unknown Number_ **  
_Hey, it's Farrah. I just spoke to the police and they're going to find out who mugged me._

She just couldn't escape this girl. She added Farrah to her contacts and texted back.

_**Aja**  
How did you get this number?_

_**Farrah**  
It was written on one of the bathroom stalls. _

_**Aja**  
Very funny. _

_**Farrah**  
No, seriously. It had your name under the number and everything. _

_**Aja**  
Oh. Great. _

_**Farrah**  
So yeah. I just wanted you to know. _

_**Aja**  
Thanks. Let me know when they find out who it is._

She was desperate to escape this situation, but her heart wouldn't let her. It was harder than she thought. Maybe it was curiosity, as if she was waiting for a big reveal in a TV show. Whatever it was, she was still hooked, and she hated herself for it. 

The speakers above them in the canteen chimed, signalling that Miss RuPaul was about to make an announcement. 

"May all the cheerleaders report to my office," she requested. All the cheerleaders exchanged confused looks; this had never happened before. The Glamazons stood up from their seats, shortly followed by the Bombers, and made their way to the office. Valentina knocked on the door before they all entered, squeezing themselves into the tiny room. 

Miss RuPaul's office may have been small, but it was the most magnificent room in the school. The walls were painted a soft pink and lined with framed photographs of the previous winners of Footballer Of The Year, with Cheerleader Of The Year below them. There were cabinets either side of her stacked from top to bottom with trophies the school had earned from sporting events and academic state competitions, Tuckahoe High School clearly coming out on top. In the middle was a vast oakwood desk, topped with vases and flowers, with _Miss RuPaul_ printed on a stainless steel plaque that rested in front of her. 

"Now," she began. "Have any of you heard of the West Hollywood Cheerleader Tryouts?" Everyone shook their head apart from Valentina, who squealed in excitement. 

"Yes!" she exclaimed, earning a judgemental glare from Aja.

Miss RuPaul smiled at her. "Well then I think you'll be pleased to know I have entered you all into it for this summer," she said, causing everyone to gasp. "But!" she interrupted before anyone could speak. "You must work together. As one team." The statement received groans and complaints from everyone. 

"Do we have to?" Kimora asked, exasperated. 

"Yes," their headteacher replied. "Unless you don't want to compete." An small uproar began in the tiny office, complaints and shouts filling the small space. "Ladies! I'm saying you need to work together, not that you need to be friends, and that's that. I expect to see you at rehearsals after school tonight."

Great. If trying to avoid Farrah wasn't enough work, now she had a competition on her plate. The day was just getting worse and worse. 

-

Finally, it was Aja's last class of the day: textiles. They were practicing for their final project of the year, which was free choice. Most people had chosen to do dresses or shirts (Aja had opted for the former), and some had chosen things like pillows (like Farrah, for example, since she wasn't the best sewer). Textiles was probably Aja's favourite lesson; doing something she loved was the perfect way to relax after the stress of the day. For others, sewing was not relaxing at all, which Aja could not understand. Maybe it was because she was a better seamstress than them. 

Across the room, she could hear Farrah whining. Again. As everyone else was sewing - Aja was halfway through hers - Farrah's cushion was a mess of tangled thread and fabric stuck in her sewing machine. She grumpily stomped on the pedal, which worsened it, and groaned. 

"Aja, can you help Farrah, please?" their teacher asked. She gave Aja a look that told her there was no way of getting out of it. 

She got out of her seat and walked to where the sewing machines were at the back of the room. Farrah was sitting there, defeated, looking up at Aja like a puppy left out in the cold. 

"What the fuck have you done to this?" she asked, sitting down in the seat next to her. She pulled her chair closer to have a better look. Farrah continued staring at her, as if she was her only hope, but also like she'd taken offence. "I, uh, sorry. But this is a mess."

"Can it be a _pleated_ cushion?" Farrah asked, touching the ruffles of the fabric where the thread had scrunched it up. 

"No way would that pass. Let me show you how to do it." Carefully, she untangled the thread from around the needle, cutting it with scissors and pulling it out of the fabric with caution. Farrah observed her, watching her nimble fingers work over her failure. The way her eyes roamed over the fabric and spotted the problems was equally as satisfying; she'd probably done it a million times before. Aja didn't understand why Farrah was still in this class if she couldn't sew, but she figured that she was probably asking herself the same question. After a good few minutes, the cushion was free from its threaded cage. 

"Can you show me how to do it now?" Farrah asked, taking the two pieces of fabric back. They were warm with the friction of Aja's hands. 

"Sure," Aja said. "Place it under the needle, where you want to start sewing."

Farrah placed the fabric in the machine. "Then what?"

"Do what you did last time, but hold the fabric flat when you push it along."

She pressed down on the pedal suddenly, whizzing her cushion-to-be through the same process again. Almost automatically, Aja reached for Farrah's hands in an attempt to save the fabric, gripping on tight to slow her down. 

"Go slowly," she said. "Don't push on the pedal so hard." It took her a few seconds to realise her hands were still holding Farrah's. "Right, I'll help you." It was a lame excuse, but less awkward than saying "shit, sorry, I definitely shouldn't even be near you right now, so please excuse this". Eureka was in their class too, probably watching them closely, as Aja could feel eyes piercing into her back. She would've thought Eureka would be helping Farrah, but when Aja looked at her piece from the corner of her eye she could tell it wasn't even close to done, so no wonder why she was subject to the torture. 

She guided Farrah through the sewing, showing her which button did what and how the machine worked (their teacher had somehow neglected to show her or something). The fabric she'd chosen was a soft plush polyester in a baby pink colour, which was soft and silky. The fluffiness meant she probably couldn't add much else to it, resulting in a low grade, but she didn't think Farrah was too bothered about that if she couldn't sew to begin with. 

"Better?" Aja asked, taking the half-finished cushion out of the machine. 

"Much better. Thanks."

"My advice: don't use that material for your final piece, 'cause you can't add anything to it," she said. "If you want a better grade, use better fabric."

She nodded in acknowledgement.

At last, the bell rang to signal the end of the day. Normally that would be a good thing, but now that they had even more rehearsals to do, it was the warning alarm that she'd be hot, sweaty, and exhausted.

The teacher let them go and everyone practically clawed their way out of the classroom. Aja walked quickly to bypass Farrah in case she wanted to walk alongside her. Maybe it was mean, but it was the only way her friends wouldn't suspect anything. Sadly, it wasn't going to change the fact that she'd be spending another hour or two with her and the teams watching.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cynthia conducts the new routine for the West Hollywood Cheerleader Tryouts. Things are building with Shea and Sasha, and while things are going up for them, it's only going downhill for Aja. At least, that's how she'd describe it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The big paragraphs of italics in this chapter are flashbacks. :)

The rehearsals weren't as stressful as Aja thought they'd be. Sure, it was full of awkward glances between her and Farrah, and Cynthia feeding them instructions every second through a drip, but it wasn't too bad. As long as they didn't talk to each other in that gym, she could get on with her life. It was strange seeing everyone together in normal activewear as apposed to their cheerleading outfits. 

"Okay - 5, 6, 7, 8!" Cynthia shouted. Automatically, everybody started doing the routine again, and it was just as torturous as the first time. All of them had almost forgotten how hard starting a new routine could be. 

After a couple of sweaty minutes, it was all over; the digital clock above them hit 5:00. Hopefully all the rehearsals and performances in the weeks to come would be worth it. Aja pulled her sweat-drenched hair into a ponytail, wiping her forehead as others did the same. Silently - apart from their heavy breathing - they made their way to the locker rooms. Each locker room was made up of two rooms separated by a set of showers (not that anyone there used public showers) so it could accommodate a whole class of students for PE. The Bombers and the Glamazons just used that to their advantage and separated themselves. Even if they were now on the "same team" for the Cheerleader Tryouts, that wasn't going to force them to integrate. 

"I agree! People should definitely eat more chocolate," Aja heard Sasha say from across the room. She turned to watch her, confused about why on earth she was talking about chocolate, and noticed her eyeing up Shea. Maybe it was a coincidence. 

"Right?!" Shea replied, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear before removing her tight-fitting shirt. It might've been the angle she was looking from, but Aja was pretty sure she saw Sasha's pupils dilate. She couldn't judge her for that though - Shea's body was pretty much flawless. She had to tear her eyes away before anyone noticed. 

Aja quickly pulled on her sweater and stuffed her sweaty clothes into her sports bag, sitting down on the creaky bench and waiting for Sasha to finish getting changed so they could walk home. As she checked her phone for the next few minutes she kept glancing at her and Shea, and the way they interacted warmed her heart, yet made her feel... concerned. Sasha was her best friend, and Shea had the reputation of being very flirty (hell, one of her lines in the cheer was dedicated to it). If Shea was leading Sasha on then it'd break her heart.

In freshman year, Sasha came out to Aja. At the time it was such a strange concept for both of them, considering their ages and the taboo that followed it, but it only brought them closer. Aja had been with Sasha through every breakup, heartbreak, and even that one crush on a straight girl last year; she hoped that history wouldn't be repeating itself. If Shea was attracted to girls in any way, she hadn't said anything. But she gave off a vibe that Aja's accurate "gaydar" tuned in to. 

Aja still had yet to come out to Sasha. Maybe a year or so later, she had realised the same thing about herself. Some days she'd tell herself today was the day, but never plucked up the courage to do so. No one knew, and God knows how she'd kept it under her hat for so long. 

"Come on, Ajy-poo," Sasha said. She called her that one time in mockery of pet names, and it stuck.

Aja rolled her eyes as she got up. "Alright. Bye, guys."

"Bye, Shea." Sasha touched her curly blonde hair and looked back at her, smiling. 

Shea smiled back. "See ya."

They exited the school via the back door and were greeted with the aggressive wind. Luckily, they were prepared with warm clothing, unlike last night. The journey from school to home was roughly a twenty minute walk for both of them. They'd first became friends on the way to school, and now it was routine for them to walk together. Hopefully, Sasha would suspect something after they walked separately this morning. 

 

_Aja's mom had lied when she said "high school will be the best experience of your life, honest!". It was halfway through the week, and she had no friends so far. Lunchtimes and breaks were lonely half-hours, and classes were just as excluding. No one wanted to be friends with the girl with a septum piercing and pastel hair._

_With her backpack hanging off one shoulder, Aja set off that solitary Thursday morning. All her friends in middle school went to their nearest high school just a couple of minutes away, and this week was making her wonder why she didn't do the same thing. She thought she was doing the right thing when she applied to Tuckahoe - it specialised in performing arts, for one - but apparently not. For a school that taught so many alternative people, it sure was judgemental. Her acne scars didn't help, either. Her freckles hid some of them, but not as much as she would've liked. It was just another one of her insecurities coming to a new school, and comments in the corridors and behind her back weren't doing any good._

_"Can you just fuck off?!" a deep, feminine voice shouted round the corner. Giggles followed the statement, making Aja stop in her tracks. The sickly sweet noise sounded like the "popular" girls in her grade, and when she peered her head around the corner she found that she was correct. Cowering below them was a girl with curly blonde hair that came to her shoulders, her art book gripped tightly in her hand._

_Now was Aja's chance to escape; those girls hadn't made her a victim yet this week, and she wasn't about to become one. But if her mom ever found out she left someone in a situation like that she'd never hear the end of it._

_She turned the corner confidently and was greeted with looks sharp enough to pierce her skin._

_"What are you doing here?" one of them demanded. It was crazy how much authority they already had. The blonde girl turned around with fear and relief evident on her face._

_What was she doing here? There wasn't anything she could do or say to stop them. At a loss for words, Aja just stood there, desperately trying to think of something to say._

_"Come on, guys," a different girl said. "That weirdo won't talk. Let's leave them." They turned around in perfect synchronisation, like robots, and continued their walk to school, or maybe trying to find another victim._

_Aja let out a breath of relief._

_"Thanks for that," the blonde said, smiling shyly._

_She scoffed. "Please, all I did was stand there like a "weirdo". Are you alright?"_

_The girl nodded. "People describe things as "weird" when they don't understand them," she said. "They probably don't understand anything other than popularity and boys."_

_"And walking away like cowards," Aja added with a laugh._

_The girl laughed with her. "I'm Sasha, by the way." She extended her hand and Aja shook it._

_"I'm Aja," she replied. "Do you want to walk with me?"_

_"Sure," Sasha said. Maybe both of their weeks wouldn't be so bad after all._

-

"Aja Storms and Farrah Moan, may you please make your way to my office?" Miss RuPaul announced over the speaker the next morning. 

The Glamazons gave Aja a weird look. Neither one of them had a valid explanation for the situation, even Aja. The only reason they'd both be called up is because of the-

Aja's phone buzzed. 

_**Farrah**  
I listed you as a witness to the mugging. Nothing to worry about._

__

__

_Nothing to worry about?!_ Now she'd have to come up with some lame and unconvincing excuse for why the hell she was even called up in the first place. It was like Farrah was trying to keep them together, but the reason for that was unknown. That one night was supposed to be forgotten about; unmentioned; zip. Yeah, Aja had asked her to let her know when stuff was resolved, but she wasn't expecting this - now she was a part of it. She was already, but now-

It was all beginning to overwhelm her. 

She pushed her seat out from under her as she shot up, giving a brief "see you later" to her friends and storming down the hallway to Miss RuPaul's office for the second time this week. Standing outside her door was Farrah, her long blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and her phone clutched in her hand. Before Aja could even say anything, she spoke. 

"I can't lie to the police, Aja," she said, folding her arms across her chest. "You're a witness, and that's that."

"And what will we tell our teams?" Aja replied with malice in her tone. She was still walking up the corridor as they talked. "That I helped you, and you were at my house? That someone who you're supposed to be hating knows about what could be the scariest night of your life even more than they do?"

Farrah looked down. "You're the only one who knows about it."

Aja's eyes widened, opening her mouth to speak but nothing coming out. 

"When you helped me, I thought I could trust you. So, take it as a compliment."

That statement almost calmed her anger, the key word here being almost. She gritted her teeth and rolled her hands into fists. Now she realised it, she was more angry at herself than she was at Farrah. 

Miss RuPaul opened the door. "Girls, come in," she said, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. They could tell she'd heard the commotion. 

Reluctantly, they followed her instruction and entered. Also standing by the headmistress' desk was one of the Glamazon footballers, his arms behind his back and his face showing concern. Aja was pretty sure his name was Luis, and she recognised him from their party on Monday night. The two cheerleaders sat down on the chairs facing Miss RuPaul's desk. 

"Aja, Farrah has informed me that you witnessed the mugging on Tuesday night," she said, tilting her head as she looked at Aja. 

"Well, I didn't really see the whole thing-"

Farrah kicked her shin with her heel, earning a whimper from her.

"But, yeah, I saw it."

"Well, girls, Luis came to me with some information about that night." All three of them turned to face him. 

"A couple friends of mine were out in that area," he said, resting his arms by his sides. "Yesterday they were acting super shady, and once I heard about happened I thought that maybe they played a part in it."

Aja turned back to look at Farrah. Her eyebrows were knitted together and she looked deep in thought.

"The guys who did it were tall and strong, and they looked young," she said. "So, maybe. But I don't see why they'd do it."

"Surely something must've provoked it," Aja said. "Unless they were under the influence."

"I'll speak to them later, if you want?" Luis suggested. 

"No," Miss RuPaul interrupted. "We have to take all of this down to the police station as soon as possible. Can all of you get there after school?" The three students nodded. 

"Thank you, anyway," Aja said, smiling up at Luis. Luis was one of the only footballers at their school that wasn't a total ass, and he and Aja had a good friendship. Her friends often teased her about him and whether she liked him or not, but she'd heard it so much that she could just brush it off her shoulder. Plus, he had a girlfriend, Bob The Cheerleader, the senior who won Cheerleader Of The Year last year. Of course, that wasn't her birth name, she'd just acquired it from her friends, and eventually the whole school called her that. Most people didn't even know her real name. 

The three students exited the office, Luis leaving to join the other footballers downstairs. Farrah still looked thoughtful. 

"What's up?" Aja asked, closing the door behind them as they stood on opposite sides of it. 

"I don't know," she replied. "I feel strange; I didn't expect for it to be resolved so soon. Is this what justice feels like?" 

She shrugged. "I can't say I've ever felt the way that you must feel."

"Are you coming to the police station later?" 

Aja nodded. "I kind of have to."

"Good," she said. "I'll see you there."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aja and Farrah somehow spend some time together without any bickering, but Farrah's current emotions produce some tension for the two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm aware that there will most definitely be inaccuracies regarding police and crime but I can assure you I've done as much research as I can. I've never been in the situation either so some of this may be based on assumptions and/or what I've seen on TV.

Luckily, lame excuses seemed to work on Aja's friends. Considering her anger earlier, they could've been too scared to question further, but that was good enough for her. The less they knew about it, the better. But Sasha knew when something was up with Aja, and vice versa, so it was surprising that she didn't ask. Now, she was on her way to the police station, which was right in the centre of the city; luckily, it wasn't too far from school. 

As she walked, her mind wandered to Farrah. She trusted her. How many people could openly admit they trusted someone with something like that? If the information was in anyone else's hands, it would most likely spread round the school like wildfire. But Farrah trusted Aja enough to include her in the investigation - that made her exceptionally more in-the-know than Farrah's own friends. 

Aja had never even been to the police station, and she was pretty sure Farrah hadn't, either. Plus, it didn't exactly look like the most welcoming place. The dark brick walls incarcerated everything in it, and the sharply carved stone almost swallowed her up. The glass doors creaked as she opened them, and the man at the front desk didn't look to be in the best of moods. _POLICE_ was printed on the front of the building in steel. She let out a breath of relief when she saw Farrah already sat down in one of their blue, plastic chairs. 

"Hey," Aja said.

Farrah looked up, her right leg shaking and her eyes looking teary. "Hi," she croaked. 

Aja sat down on the chair next to her, not saying anything. The tension and anxiety in the room was so thick she could cut it with a knife. Farrah continued bouncing her leg up and down, holding her smashed phone tightly in her hand. 

Not even a few seconds later, Luis entered the station, looking just as uneasy. He spotted both girls sitting by the wall and walked over to them. 

"Farrah," he said. "Are you ready?"

She nodded. This was the first time she'd shown apprehension apart from the night it happened, and the sudden change in demeanour made Aja feel perturbed. She probably wasn't the best equipped to help her through it, considering how she'd acted towards her whining. That was a completely different situation, she reminded herself. 

They walked up to the front desk in synchrony, and Farrah cleared her throat. 

"I'd, uh, I'd like to report a mugging," she said. It was clear none of them had done this before. West Hollywood was normally such a nice place and none of them had ever had any trouble with crime, but of course it just took that one person to change that. 

The receptionist swivelled away from his computer in his rotating chair, a forced smile present on his face. He had prominent eye bags. "Sure thing," he said, pulling a form out from a stand behind his desk and placing it in front of the three. "Fill out this with your contact details and I'll refer you to an officer." Without looking, he handed Farrah a pen, and was soon back at work on his computer. 

Aja watched over her shoulder as she wrote. She recorded her name, address, phone number, et cetera. Then she brought up her phone to write down a second number to contact if she was unavailable - Aja noticed it was her own. Something about that made her feel like she'd received an honourable mention in a shitty movie. 

Farrah handed the form back to the receptionist and he punched _311_ into the landline phone next to him. From what Aja remembered from middle school, that was the non-emergency number. After a few moments of speaking between them, the man passed the phone to Farrah. Hastily, she took it. 

"Tuesday night..... No, but we have suspects," she told them. "... Hang on a second." She held the phone away from her face. "Luis, what are your friends' names?"

"James Smith and Chuck Johnson," he said. 

"James Smith and Chuck Johnson," Farrah repeated into the phone. "... Uh-huh... Tomorrow? Sure... Thank you for the help." She passed the phone back to the receptionist. 

"Well?" Aja questioned. 

"I'm speaking to the police here tomorrow, since it's not considered an "emergency"." She made quotation marks with her hands. "And you have to be there because you're a witness."

"What about me?" Luis asked. 

"You should be good to go," Farrah said. "But they might ask you to come in at some point." 

"Right, I'm gonna head back to school, then," he said, swinging it backpack over his shoulder. "Football practice."

"Thanks for coming, Luis." She smiled at him. 

"No problem." He smiled back, turning around to push the squealing glass doors and leaving. 

"I should get going, too," Aja added, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her jacket. 

"Do you- do you mind if I walk with you?" Farrah asked, looking up at her with her begging puppy dog eyes. "Normally I'd walk with Kimora and Eureka, but, obviously, they're not here."

"Not at all," she said. How could she resist those blue eyes of hers, that seemed like they were filling with tears and expecting the negative?

Their walk home was relatively quiet, much like a lot of Aja's walks recently. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It gave her time to think, whether it was about something important like going to the police station tomorrow, or just "I'm really craving some cookies right now". Neither one of them had spoken a word. Normally in awkward moments, Aja would make a comment about the weather, but it was the same old gloomy grey that occurred each spring. 

It was oddly peaceful walking home with Farrah. She'd expected her to whine about the cold, or talk about what she'd told her friends about today, but instead she was silent. Despite talking just as little on Tuesday night, this afternoon felt wildly different. Lack of adrenaline? Or fear? Aja tilted her head to look at her; she looked down at the ground as she walked and her arms were crossed. 

"You're awful quiet," she said. 

Farrah bit her lip, not responding. 

"Farrah?" Aja said. 

She opened her mouth to speak and was suddenly overcome with tears, breaking down into a sob. She held her hands over her eyes, but that didn't stop the makeup running down her cheeks with her tears. 

"Farrah, what's wrong?" she asked, stopping in her tracks and bending down slightly in an attempt to make eye contact. 

Farrah pulled her hands away, clenching her fists and breathing in and out sharply. "It's everything. The mugging, the police - it all crashed down on me today," she managed to get out in between breaths. "And I'm so sorry I'm dumping this all on you -"

"Shh," Aja told her, instantly transforming into her comforting self. Friends or not, she wasn't going to let Farrah suffer like this. She held her in a protective grasp, her hands on both arms and her right thumb rubbing soothing circles across her skin. "Don't apologise. It's not your fault."

And in that moment, they both let their guards down. The last thought on Aja's mind was her friends and what they'd do if they saw the pair like this, and Farrah instinctively wrapped her arms around the lilac-haired girl's midsection, pulling her into a tight hug. Aja hugged the blonde back, running her hand up and down her back gently. 

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this," Farrah cried into Aja's shoulder, beginning to soak her jacket with tears. "You didn't have to help me."

"Well, I chose to," Aja countered. "You didn't "drag" me into anything."

"Then, thank you," she said. "For everything you've done and what you're doing for me."

Aja just pulled her closer, pleased with the thanks she felt like she'd waited so long for, despite only two days passing since the first time she helped her. Farrah continued to bawl, clinging to her jacket like a child would. They stood there like that for a few minutes, several people walking past and giving sympathetic looks, and even though they were out in the open, Farrah felt like Aja was the only one with her. It was strangely comforting for both of them. 

-

_**Sasha**  
You're acting really weird. What's up?_

Aja was sitting at the police station, waiting for Farrah, when she received the text, and it was one she'd been dreading. 

_**Aja**  
You know how school is. It's stressful, and we have the tryouts soon. _

_**Sasha**  
You can talk to me or Alexis if you're stressed. _

_**Aja**  
I know, and same goes. Don't worry about it, okay?_

_**Sasha**  
I am worrying. You shut people out even when you're just focused on some work. You're worse when you're stressed. _

_**Aja**  
I'm alright. _

_**Sasha**  
See? You're shutting me out right now. _

_**Aja**  
I don't want to argue with you about this. Trust me, Sash, I'm alright. Are we still walking to school on Monday?_

_**Sasha**  
Yup, I'll see you at my house. Don't forget you can talk to me if you need it._

Farrah walked back into reception, and smiled softly at Aja. She decided Sasha could wait. 

"How did it go?" she asked. 

"Better than expected," Farrah said. "They want to speak to you, now."

Aja got up from her uncomfortable chair and made her way to the room where she'd walked Farrah to just a few moments ago; her mouth went dry and she trembled slightly as soon as she saw the two policemen sitting in front of a cold-looking, metal table. Their expressions were serious and firm, but also understanding. 

"Aja Storms?" one of them questioned, looking down at a sheet of paper that she could only assume was full of information that Farrah had told him. 

"Yup," she replied. Who says "yup" so casually while being questioned by police? She closed the door behind her and the room was filled with a deafening silence. 

"Sit down," he instructed, and she followed. "We're going to ask you a few questions."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha and Aja's secret-keeping takes a toll on Alexis.

_**Farrah**  
Can I talk to you?_

_**Aja**  
What about?_

_**Farrah**  
Do you think it was a bad idea to report the mugging to the police?_

_**Aja**  
Why the fuck would it be a bad idea?_

_**Farrah**  
What if they're angry? And they do something else?_

_**Aja**  
I really doubt that would happen._

_**Farrah**  
Thanks for being concerned. _

_**Aja**  
You asked, I answered._

Aja got up from her bed to wash her makeup off in the bathroom. It was late on Saturday night, and most of the world was asleep, but Aja was wide awake. She'd been practising all the moves they'd done on Wednesday for the tryouts, but she just couldn't perfect them. Either her leg wasn't straight enough, she didn't jump as high as Cynthia wanted, or she kept messing up the words; she was surprised her mom hasn't stormed up the stairs and told her to quit making a racket and go to sleep. Each time she did something wrong, each time she fell from her position, she let out a grunt of frustration. At this rate, she wouldn't be at all ready for next week's rehearsal. 

After washing her face, she climbed back into bed and received another text from Farrah. 

_**Farrah**  
Well, I'm scared. _

_**Aja**  
I'm sure the police will do what they can to ensure you're safe. You'll be up all night if you keep thinking about it. _

_**Farrah**  
I can't STOP thinking about it. It's hard to explain exactly how I feel, but I'm paranoid as hell. I think that pretty much sums it up. _

_**Aja**  
Breathe, okay? In and out, slowly. Calm yourself down somehow. _

_**Farrah**  
Thanks for the breathing lesson, it was really helpful. _

_**Aja**  
Shut your sarcastic ass up or stop texting me. I'm actually trying to help. _

_**Farrah**  
I know, I know. Thank you._

Aja rolled over in her bed, dragging her covers and everything with her. Farrah's panic was beginning to scare her a little, now that she was officially listed as a witness. The guys that (supposedly) did it could come for her, too. 

_**Aja**  
I'm going to sleep. I'll see you on Monday or something._

She turned off her phone and closed her eyes, but she definitely wasn't going to sleep. The thoughts of the rehearsals were eating her up, forcing her to stay awake and think endlessly about it. So, maybe it was hypocritical for her to tell Farrah to stop thinking about the mugging. There was just no way out of that mental trap. 

Eventually she drifted off to sleep, the cars driving down the road and the smell of cigarette smoke coming from her open window dulling down, and soon her mind wandered to a place of peace. Hopefully tomorrow and Monday would be less stressful days. 

-

"Alexis, you're such a floozy!" Sasha exclaimed on the walk to school the coming Monday. Alexis lived in the same neighbourhood as them so the three sometimes walked together, and she was telling the two girls about a party she went to at the weekend. As always, a boy was involved. 

"Well, duh," Alexis replied, smirking. She twirled a lock of her brown hair with her finger. "Anyway, so, we were right in the middle of everyone, and he was grinding on me. Literally the whole room was watching us dance and it was basically our party..."

Aja started to daydream through the rest of Alexis' riveting story, as many of the Glamazons tended to do. Every Monday there was a new story about a new party and a new boy in a new part of the city. No one in school was a stranger to her antics, but, come on, she must've been exaggerating a little. 

"Aja, how was your weekend?" Alexis asked after finishing her story. "Any trade?"

"Nah," Aja replied. "Just practising for Wednesday."

"Boring." She dragged out the _nggg sound_. "Sasha; any girls?"

Sasha looked down at her shoes as if she suddenly found them interesting; she anxiously tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "Uh, well..."

"Oh, my God, who?!" Alexis almost shrieked. Aja just stared at her, wide-eyed. The only person that came to mind was Shea, but even then she still wasn't 100% sure if Sasha liked her in that way. And Sasha wasn't the type of person to have a fling. 

"None of your business," Sasha said. 

"Come _on_!" Alexis groaned. "You can't just leave us hanging like that."

"Well, I can, 'cause that's what I'm doing." She laughed to herself. Alexis continued to harass the girl about her weekend, but Sasha just wouldn't give in. Luckily, it was nothing some good, old-fashioned interrogation later on from Aja couldn't do. 

They arrived at school and went their separate ways, Sasha going to the art room like usual and Alexis and Aja standing at the bottom of the stairs to wait for the other Glamazons. They stood there on their phones waiting impatiently; Aja couldn't wait to see the guilty, mischievous look that was hopefully on Shea's face. She'd have to ask Sasha when she got to art class later. 

Kimora, Eureka, and Farrah walked through the doors loudly, laughing to themselves about something and immediately attracting the attention of everyone stood in that corridor. Aja noticed that Farrah's nose scrunched up when she smiled. 

Both Glamazons looked up from their phones, Alexis glaring and Aja observing. The three Bombers approached the staircase, still giggling amongst themselves, and almost completely ignoring two of their rivals. Almost. Farrah looked back over her shoulder as they walked quickly and smiled for a second, although it felt like much longer. Aja flashed a smile back, just before Alexis cocked her head in a questioning manner, her eyes looking very accusing. 

"What was that?" she questioned. "Why did she smile at you?"

"I-I don't know!" Aja lied. She felt uneasiness brewing in the pit of her stomach. 

"The Bombers never even look at us outside rehearsals, so that whiny bitch must've smiled at you for a reason."

"It's probably nothing," she said. "Don't worry about it."

"Are you hiding something, as well as Sasha?" Alexis accused. "Because if-"

"I'm not hiding _anything_ , Alexis!" Aja exclaimed. 

"- If you are then... then I'll be hurt. We're supposed to be best friends."

"I don't know what you think I'm hiding, but there's nothing at all," she lied again. Guilt tugged on her heart strings when she looked into Alexis' disappointed eyes. She couldn't possibly tell her that she was friends with Farrah - she'd go ballistic. 

-

"So, Sasha," Aja said teasingly when she walked into Art. Everyone was sitting down at their tables chatting, so it wasn't like they were going to pay attention to their conversation. 

Sasha looked up from her book and glared at her best friend. "What is it?" she asked. 

"Was it Shea?" she asked. 

"What?"

"At the weekend! Were you with Shea?"

Sasha looked down nervously. "Yes," she admitted. "Don't tell anyone. Literally the whole school knows I'm gay, but Shea wants to keep it on the down-low."

Aja squealed in excitement, although she was still unsure about the two together. Sasha was her best friend, and she wouldn't dare let anyone hurt her. 

"I'm really happy for you, Sash," she replied truthfully. 

"It's not obvious that I like her, right?" Sasha asked. Aja scoffed, but knew she was serious when she looked up with desperate eyes. 

"I had a hunch, to be honest," she said. "So, are you two, like, together?"

Sasha shrugged. "We just kissed a couple of times, so I don't know. I should ask her."

"You should." Their teacher arrived and everyone immediately quietened down, so Aja reduced her voice to a whisper. "Speak to her later."

As if on cue, Shea walked into class, her hair waving side to side in its long, slick ponytail. She flashed a smile at Sasha, who smiled back, and sat down in her seat near the two girls. Shea looked forward, engaged by the teacher explaining the task to the class, by Sasha just continued gazing at her with heart-eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to look up for Farrah, and Aja manages to get a weight off her chest. But some memories resurface that she'd rather forget.

At some point later that day, Farrah texted Aja some updates about the case, and it came to both of their surprises that there was progress: James and Chuck had been questioned at the police station, and footage from CCTV cameras outside the store that night concluded that it was them. They both let out a mental and physical sigh of relief at the revelation. 

And as if things weren't looking up already, Shea and Sasha were now officially a "thing", and Aja was pretty sure that Sasha now had a permanent smile on her face. For the rest of the day, the two were practically inseparable, but somehow never revealed that they were together. It gave Aja a warm sensation in her heart, and she suddenly longed for something of the sort. 

The three were now walking home together, and the atmosphere was as awkward as expected; Aja was third wheeling the happy couple, vaguely listening to their conversations. She wasn't as close with Shea as she was with Sasha, so she didn't really know how to include herself. With Sasha, the two could talk about the most random things, but Shea was one of those girls that was so seemingly perfect and flawless that those thoughts wouldn't even cross her mind. Aja and Nina both found that they were terrified of her judging them. 

Eventually, Shea parted from them, softly kissing Sasha on the lips and waving goodbye to Aja before turning left to go back home. Sasha smiled to herself and touched her lips in disbelief. 

"Someone's happy," Aja teased. 

Sasha giggled. "I can't put it into words," she said. "But happy is such an understatement."

"Are you gonna tell the others?"

She hesitated, and her smile faded. "Uh, I don't know. Probably at some point."

"You should. They'll be really happy for you." That got Aja thinking: she should come out. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done. She'd kept it locked away and hidden for so long, and it'd feel strange to now have it out in the open. Every time it came to confessing, she stopped herself like a coward. She didn't want to hesitate any longer. 

"Alexis will make a big thing about it, like she's done with every relationship I've had," Sasha replied. "She'll parade us around the school like we're some sort of fairground attraction. I know she's our friend, but she needs to chill sometimes."

"The others will be fine with it. Don't worry about Alexis," Aja assured. 

Sasha shrugged. "I'll talk to Shea about it," she said. "I don't know if she's ready to come out." Aja slowly came to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk, causing Sasha to turn around and raise one eyebrow. "What's up?" she asked. 

"Speaking of coming out... Can I tell you something?" Aja could feel her heartbeat resounding in her chest, her hands becoming clammy. She couldn't back down now. 

"Sure." Sasha's expression softened. She looked as if she knew exactly what Aja was going to say, but she encouraged her to continue, anyway. 

"I'm, err... I've wanted to tell you this for a while now, and something in me said that now was the right time." _Come on, Aja, hurry the fuck up_. Her heartbeat became louder and louder, and she could feel the blood rushing in her ears. "I'm gay." She closed her eyes immediately in regret, and jumped out of her skin when Sasha embraced her in one of her power-grip hugs. She exhaled, and the emotional weight was lifted off her shoulders. 

"I'm so proud of you," she told her, hugging her even tighter. Aja hugged her back, unable to speak. She was so utterly grateful for her best friend, and wondered what she'd do without her. It was times like this where she was reminded of how truly amazing Sasha was.

Aja pulled away. "Thank you, Sasha," she responded, getting her breath back. "That feels so much better."

"Girl, you should've told me sooner!" she exclaimed. "We could've talked about girls and gayness and everything."

"I... I was too scared," she admitted. "Now, I don't know why I was."

"Well, good times await," Sasha said. "And... can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Aja said. She still hasn't quite caught her breath. 

"Have you had a girlfriend before?"

"Uh, not really." That wasn't exactly a lie. She hadn't had a girlfriend before, but there was one girl who had shattered her heart, despite them never being together - she'd never forget Dahlia. Even the mention of the name brought back a lifetime supply of bad memories. 

 

_The two sophomores were sitting on Aja's bed, legs crossed and surrounded by their schoolwork, but it wasn't like they were doing any. Catching up every few weeks or so was always enjoyable, and every time they'd leave their heaps of work at their sides. It had been a whole year since they'd last gone to school together, but the one thing that had changed only recently was Aja's feelings towards Dahlia. Normally after a year or so apart, friends weren't that close anymore, but that was completely different for the girl. She wanted to see Dahlia every day, hang out with her, kiss her and hold her hand. Feel her touch against her bare skin, her breath on her neck late at night. Dahlia didn't think about that. She never had. While Aja's gigantic crush manifested itself over the past few months, Dahlia purely saw friendship._

_"So," Aja began. "What's sophomore year like for you? Anything new?"_

_Dahlia broke out into a smile. "Well, there's this new guy in our grade. God, Aja, he's so hot! I sit next to him in English."_

_Aja's mood instantly dropped, but she didn't let her fake smile falter. She had to be happy for her friend._

_"Have you talked to him at all?" she questioned._

_"No, not yet," Dahlia replied, her smile fading. "Our English teacher is so strict, so we can never talk in class, and I don't see him outside of class that much, anyway. So, this one time she caught us talking..." And she was off talking about a new subject, much to Aja's delight._

_She was so desperately in like. Dahlia spoke so eloquently that she couldn't help but watch her lips as she talked, and thoughts of kissing the girl crossed her mind. She imagined the feeling of Dahlia's lips on her own, the way her eyes would flutter shut as they both leaned in and closed the small gap between them. It was so, so wrong, but it felt so right._

_"Aja, hello?!" Dahlia said, waving her hand in front of Aja's face. Aja snapped out of her daydream and laughed nonchalantly._

_"Sorry, zoned out," she said._

_"So rude." She laughed and lightly pushed Aja back with a slap to her shoulder. Even the smallest gesture made her skin tingle and butterflies swarm in her stomach. "Is something up? You're never normally this quiet."_

_Aja looked down, digging her nails into her palms. Her not-so-little crush was eating her up inside more than ever, and she didn't know how to answer. On one hand, she could tell Dahlia and get it over with. On the other, she could make up some half-assed excuse and keep it to herself. Neither option sounded that appealing, but she had to pick one._

_"It's, uh... There is something, actually." She didn't know where she was going with this, or why she'd decided that this was the best decision, but she had to go with it now._

_Dahlia cocked her head to the left, raising her eyebrows. "What is it?"_

_Aja bit her bottom lip so hard that she thought it would bleed. When she didn't respond, Dahlia took her hand in her own, and instantly Aja's became clammy. She reluctantly tore it away before Dahlia noticed. Instead, she placed it on her cheek, and quickly leaned in to press a kiss to her soft lips before Dahlia could even speak up. The kiss was forceful, not with aggression, but with passion - but Dahlia didn't kiss back. Instead, she pulled away, wiping off Aja's lipstick from her lips and looking her up and down with wide eyes. Their friendship had completely changed within a matter of seconds._

_"Dahlia, I'm sorry, I-"_

_"Don't worry about it ," she cut her off, smiling insincerely. "Maybe we should just do some homework, or something. I... have to meet Kandy and Momo soon."_

_"S-sure," Aja stuttered. She'd probably tell Kandy and Momo everything. Dahlia's reaction had taken her heart and smashed it with a sledgehammer. Melancholy filled the room as they both pulled out their homework in silence, and they began to work. Aja still felt her lips tingling, and her eyes stung with tears._

_But she couldn't hate Dahlia. It was nowhere near the girl's fault for what she did, and she'd just have to accept that she couldn't return the feelings. She couldn't imagine hating her best friend. But somehow, that anger still resided within her._

 

"Oh," Sasha replied, bringing Aja back from her much-relived memory. "You'll find someone, I just know it."

"I hope so, Sash," Aja said. 

The two automatically began to walk again, but Aja just couldn't shake Dahlia from her mind. They were still close friends, but it had been a while since they'd last seen each other, and there was always tension when they did. Aja didn't like Dahlia like that anymore, but the hurt had never left. 

A few moments later, Sasha left to go home and Aja walked the last few streets by herself. Unable to shake Dahlia from her mind, she pulled her phone out of her pocket - she needed a distraction, and it didn't matter too much who or what it was. At first she didn't know who to text, but soon enough, just the right person came to mind. 

_**Aja**  
Come over so we can practise for Wednesday. I need some help._

Cheerleading was always her sweet escape, and it was just the right thing to keep her mind busy. But the person she'd invited to help her? That may have been a whole different matter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Farrah and Aja begin to get closer, and not just emotionally.

"I don't know why you invited _me_ ," Farrah pointed out when she arrived at Aja's. "All the Glamazons are perfectly capable of helping you."

"You're the one who walked all the way here," Aja countered. Farrah followed her into the spacious living room, both of them decked out in their cheerleading outfits. 

"Still," Farrah said. "I thought you were trying to distance yourself from me, in case they "find out about us"." The quoting of Aja's own words almost offended her. 

"Well, maybe I want to practise with someone else," she said. "Take it as a compliment."

Over the past week or so, she'd come to the conclusion that Farrah wasn't as annoying as she initially thought, although that might've been because she hadn't seen much of her. But it appeared that there was more to her than a whiny teenager who wore way too much highlighter, and now she didn't actually mind too much when she texted her. She had the potential to be a close friend. The only problem was the other cheerleaders, and each time she was with Farrah she was constantly reminded of it. 

"So, what do you want to practise?" Farrah asked, bringing Aja back from her inner monologue. 

"Just the basic stuff that Cynthia kept telling us last week," she said. "I need to work on jumping and keeping my leg high."

"Well, let's start with the legs," she said. "Show me your high-kick."

Aja stretched her hands out to the side to balance herself and high-kicked with her right leg, but it definitely didn't go as high as she wanted. Then Farrah did hers, and she managed to touch her toes with her hand. Aja let out a grunt of frustration. 

"You're probably not stretching properly, and that's why you can't do it," Farrah told her matter-of-factly. "I'll show you some exercises."

Aja sighed. The two of them stretched for a few minutes in a comfortable silence, both of them feeling their legs being pulled as far as they could go. As she stretched, all she could think about was rehearsals, and suddenly Valentina sprung to mind. It was instinct to despise the Bomber, and she did even more so now it was becoming clear that she was better than her. A freshman being better than a junior and even some seniors was unheard of. Hopefully, Farrah could coach her on some points; she'd certainly show Valentina. She had to be better than her. She _had_ to. 

"You ready?" Farrah asked. 

"Hm?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing," Aja assured. "Don't worry."

"Okay. Try the high-kick again."

Aja did as she was told, with some slight improvement, but apparently that wasn't good enough. She was going to trust Farrah's instruction since she'd known Cynthia longer than anyone, but that didn't mean it wasn't frustrating. 

"Raise your leg again and keep it there," she told her. Aja raised her eyebrows at her, but did so anyway. Farrah cocked her head to the side observantly, looking a bit like an art critic who'd seen a less-than-amazing piece. "Any higher?" she requested. 

Aja strained, but that was as high as she could go. Farrah capriciously darted behind her, and unexpectedly took a hold of Aja's waist. Aja jumped slightly but kept her position, and soon warmed to her touch. With her left hand resting on Aja's side, Farrah's right hand guided her leg further upwards. She began at her thigh and slowly dragged her hand further along, all the while pushing it higher into the air. Her fingers gripped her leg softly, but with enough force for Aja to feel like she was completely submitting to Farrah's control. Something about their current position made her feel a little breathless. 

"This is how high it should be, at least, that's how high I normally have mine." Farrah's breath tickled the back of Aja's neck. The two stood there for a moment before Farrah pulled her hand away, a gust of cold air grazing where it had been, and the moment was over almost as soon as it began. Aja kept her leg up as high as it had been forced. 

"Better?" she asked. 

"Better," Farrah replied. She went back to where she was before and gave Aja a small smile, which she returned. 

Aja relaxed her leg and dropped it, collapsing on the couch that stood to her side. Really, she was this tired already?

"Come on, get up," Farrah said. "Practise makes perfect."

Aja reluctantly launched herself off of the couch again, already beginning to regret practising with Farrah. Her only motivation now was refusing defeat, especially from Valentina. Miss RuPaul wouldn't permit anyone to represent her school if they were going to flop, and Aja wasn't going to be the one to fail. 

-

Exhausted, the two cheerleaders let themselves fall into the couch, allowing it to swallow them up. They'd spent a good hour practising their high-kicks, jumps, chants, and the like, and now they were both ready to relax. Aja switched on the TV, not minding what channel it was on, and the two sat back into their seats, sipping the water that Aja had got them earlier. 

"Doesn't this feel a little strange?" Farrah questioned. 

Aja pulled the glass from her lips. "What?" she replied. 

"We're acting like friends. You've invited me to your house, and not out of pity like last time. It's like we're not even on separate teams."

"Okay, correction: I invited you last time because I'm not an asshole," Aja countered. "But apart from that, I agree. It's weird."

"Do you want to actually be friends?" Farrah asked quietly. "Or am I just your unauthorised coach or something?"

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"I asked you first."

"I think I'd like to be friends," Aja said truthfully. Maybe it was Farrah's doe-like blue eyes that convinced her, but looking into them now she couldn't exactly remember if she'd had any intention of saying no. She wasn't currently regretting anything, so that was a good sign. 

Farrah burst into a smile. "Cheers to a new friendship," she said, raising her glass and clinking it with Aja's. Aja smiled back with equal enthusiasm. 

The fell back into silence and continued watching TV, and this time neither of them felt the need to fill it, a vast difference from their awkward walks home. They sat there like that for a few more moments, until Farrah spoke up again. 

"Should our friends know?" she asked, and it was a question that Aja would've rather not answered. 

"Not yet," she said. "None of mine would ever even _dream_ of being friends with you guys."

"Same goes."

"So, let's keep it at that. They don't need to know."

Farrah was about to say something again, but an incoming call interrupted her. Both of them looked down at her phone to see the police station's number. Farrah hesitantly picked it up and answered it. 

"Hello?... Right..." she said, her eyebrows furrowed. "Okay... Oh, that's great." Her broke out into a smile. "Uh-huh, I understand... Thanks, bye!"

"What is it?" Aja asked curiously. 

"They were able to get a hold of CCTV footage from the store and they're going to review the tapes from that night," she said, beaming. "Those dicks will get what's coming to them."

Aja was suddenly filled with a warm feeling in her heart. "That's great!" she exclaimed. "Do you know if they have a warrant for their arrests?"

She shrugged. "I guess we'll have to wait and find out."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some justice is served, or so they think. Aja does her best to cheer Farrah up.

There was no sound in the corridors the next morning, except the resounding thud of the policemen's boots. Aja's blood ran cold when they first entered her classroom, ready to arrest James and Chuck.

"You have the right to remain silent," one of them told the two as they were being put in handcuffs. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you can not afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been given to you?"

They simply nodded, both their faces pale and gaunt. Their expression strangely pleased Aja. 

The two boys were escorted out of the classroom, and that's when the silence hit. Everyone shot up from their seat and attempted to peer through the door, and all the classrooms that lined the hallway did the same. In the class opposite her, Aja spotted Farrah, her lips in a straight line as she watched the scene rolling out in front of her. No one else in the school knew about the mugging, and soon it'd be printed in all the local newspapers. Even the teachers were clueless. 

Miss RuPaul appeared at the end of the corridor and shot James and Chuck a deathly glare. The fact that she said nothing to them told everyone that she had no tolerance for their crime. She then turned her head to face the rest of the corridor, and the remainder of students scampered back into their classroom without a word. 

For the rest of class, not a single student spoke or interrupted their teacher. Everyone was shellshocked. When it was time for break, it turned into something that no one could shut up about. With each step Aja took, she was greeted with new theories, some going as far to guess that they committed arson, or even murder. Aja just wanted to tell them the truth to avoid hearing all the absurd assumptions, but she wasn't going to betray Farrah's trust like that. 

Aja sat down at the table with her friends, and they were already discussing their own theories.

"What if they robbed something?" Nina suggested.

"They probably just smoked weed and got caught," Charlie said. "They're sophomores or something, and a lot of sophomores do it."

"Come on, it has to be more serious than that," Alexis insisted. "Miss RuPaul looked like she was about to kill them."

"Guys, what about the game tonight?" Jaymes piped up. "If they've been arrested, who's going to play?"

All the Glamazons shared looks between themselves, but they knew that neither one had an answer for that question. There would be outrage if their headteacher postponed this season - cheerleading and football was these people's lives, and it wouldn't be taken lightly. Aja noticed that Shea's jaw was already stiffening, and she had a look of malice in her eyes. 

"Those dicks just had to go and do something stupid to mess it all up," she said through clenched teeth. 

"We still have the West Hollywood Cheerleader Tryouts," Sasha reassured her. "And I'm sure they'll find new players soon enough."

Shea nodded, but didn't look convinced. 

"I just want to know what they did to get themselves arrested," Nina said. 

"We'll probably find out later today," Aja added. "I doubt it'll stay a secret for long."

-

_**Farrah**  
Have you seen the news? [Attachment]_

Aja clicked on the link that Farrah had sent; it was a local news article reporting on the case. At the top were mugshots of James and Chuck, both looking very sorry for themselves. Serves them right. 

She mindlessly skimmed the article, until she came to the end, which told her what their sentence was. Oh, how ready she was for those dickheads to be punished. 

”Due to Smith and Johnson still being minors, the consequences will only be light. The two boys will serve three months of community service, most likely cleaning up the parks of West Hollywood.“

 _Community service?!_ Aja's blood boiled, and she couldn't even imagine how angry Farrah must've been. Those disgusting people deserved prison time for what they did. 

_**Aja**  
What the fuck. _

_**Farrah**  
Yeah. I was in court earlier today for their verdict, and the article just got posted. _

_**Aja**  
Are you okay?_

_**Farrah**  
Not really._

Aja continued to read the article time and time again, unable to comprehend what it was saying. For a crime that caused someone so much distress, hardly anything was being done about it. In three months, James and Chuck would forget about what they did and continue the rest of school like normal, with little to no repercussions. Just the thought of them being able to freely roam the streets made Aja's cheeks flush with anger. However, amidst all her fury (and her fourth time reading the article), an idea sparked in her head. She quickly texted Farrah and told her to meet her a couple of streets away from the park. 

-

"You know I have places to be, right?" Farrah questioned Aja as they walked towards the park. 

Aja shushed her. "You can wait. This will be worth it." They walked down the street, Aja's heart thumping with anticipation. To their right was the police station, a bitter reminder of what had happened not long ago. 

"Is this what justice feels like?" Farrah asked, her head bowed a little so Aja couldn't meet her eyes. 

"This is a poor representation of justice, if you ask me," Aja replied. 

"I wish they were locked up," she said. "At least school would be a little more tolerable." The sadness in Farrah's voice tugged on Aja's heart; she really felt for the girl. A few moments later, they approached the entrance of the park. 

"Well, I hope this makes you feel a little better."

Farrah looked up at Aja with curious eyes as they continued to walk, but her expression completely changed when she saw who was standing in the distance. Several metres away was Chuck, a high-vis jacket on and a plastic trash bag in one hand. The other was holding a stick that he was using to pick up litter; James was standing a few feet from him doing the same. A police officer observed from one of the park benches. 

Farrah burst into laughter at the state of them, and Aja noticed again how her nose scrunched up endearingly when she smiled. She looked up at Aja with those puppy-dog eyes of hers, although this time they looked more thankful than begging. Her gratefulness pleased Aja. 

"See? This was worth it," she told her. 

"Thank you, Aja," she said. "Seriously, you didn't need to do this."

Aja shrugged. "I just thought it might cheer you up."

"It did. Thank you." She beamed a smile at her. "Do you think it'd be alright if we stayed and watched?"

"I thought you had places to be?" Aja teased. 

"Those places can wait," she said. She led Aja over to the swings which they sat on, lightly pushing themselves with their feet. The early evening went by slowly and the two enjoyed each other's company, the crickets and cicadas that resided in the grass eventually beginning to make a sound. They laughed to themselves each time James or Chuck dropped some garbage. At around 7pm James, Chuck, and the officer cleared out of the park, and their fun was over. Aja was very tempted to pull some trash out of her pocket and throw it in their direction, but resisted the urge. 

"I really should get going," Farrah said. Her long, blonde hair waved in the breeze that was picking up. 

Aja couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "I'll see you tomorrow at practice, yeah?" she asked. 

"Sure thing. And thanks, again." She leant over from her swing and pulled Aja into a tight hug, their awkward position making the whole ordeal a little uncomfortable. Nevertheless she hugged her back, and her hair softly brushed against her cheek. The hug was overly quickly, and Farrah was on her way.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cheerleaders face a dilemma that must be overcome quickly, and Cynthia is left to make the final decision. Meanwhile, Aja and Farrah are starting to enjoy their newfound friendship.

The extra practice with Farrah had really paid off. The next day, Aja found herself performing with more ease and Cynthia barked at her less, plus she could actually remember the words. Even though she was annoyed at the game being cancelled yesterday, the practice kind of made up for it, and it didn't drag on as much as it did last week. 

Sasha and Shea couldn't keep their eyes off each other, even if their lives depended on it; they really weren't helping their case on keeping their relationship hidden. Something about seeing each other in a short skirt and tight t-shirt made them incapable of tearing their gazes away. If Cynthia caught them in their distracted state, she'd call them out and practically reveal the unknown. 

"Again, guys!" Cynthia demanded. Of course, the cheerleaders followed her command and performed their unfinished routine for the last time, thoroughly tired out. They didn't have much so far, but it certainly was impressive. If they were lucky, they'd continue on to the second round. 

At the very end of the routine, there was an unexpected knock on the door of the sports hall. All the girls turned to face it as Miss RuPaul walked in with Miss Visage and Mr. Mathews, her lips in the straight line and her eyes boring holes into each one of them. The sound of her high heels echoed in the otherwise silent hall. 

"Your routine looks fabulous so far," she began, "but I regret to inform you that there is a limit on how many are allowed on a team." No one dared speak, so she decided to continue. "The largest amount of people West Hollywood will accept is twelve. Trust me, I did try to push it to fourteen, but the organisers wouldn't allow it."

"We strongly suggest that you decide this amongst yourselves," Miss Visage added. She had that serious glint in her eyes. "Or else we'll be picking for you."

Aja felt her blood run cold. She wouldn't dare let these tryouts dictate whether she was good enough for the team or not, not after she'd worked so hard on this all through high school. She certainly wasn't going to volunteer herself to leave, but it wasn't in her best interest to make enemies and say who should. 

The three teachers exited the room in silence, leaving everyone else in a state of shock. They all turned to face one another, and for once, they all felt like they were actually a team. 

"So, how are we gonna go about this?" Trinity spoke up, crossing her arms and walking closer to the middle. 

"We should cast a vote, or something," Eureka suggested. "That way, we know who everyone thinks should stay or go."

"That could come off as shady, y'know," Sasha countered. "Mr. Mathews is in the best position to choose for us."

"I think Cynthia is," Valentina said. "She's been here the longest." Valentina was correct; Cynthia had been held back a year and she'd been on the team since she was a freshman, so she undoubtably had the most experience. Mr. Mathews wasn't a cheerleader and therefore couldn't decide for them. The group turned to face Cynthia, who's face was now stiff and nervous, and looked at her with hopeful eyes. 

"I guess I could..." she said hesitantly. "To make it fair, one Glamazon leaves and so does one Bomber."

"Or _all_ the Glamazons leave," Kimora muttered under her breath, her voice only audible to those standing close to her. 

"I'll write a list with who I think should stay, and it'll be up by tomorrow," Cynthia informed them. "We can't afford to lose any time. Let's just go home, and I can decide quicker."

The others nodded and they all left the room to get changed, no one saying a word. Everyone had their speculations and opinions about who wouldn't be joining them, but there would be no changing Cynthia's mind, and they weren't going to question her power. Until tomorrow, their fate rested in her hands. 

"Who do you think is leaving from our team?" Sasha asked Aja quietly as they got changed. 

Aja looked over her shoulder and eyed up her team members, guilt setting in at the judgements she was making. 

She shrugged. "I don't know," she put simply. "You?"

"I don't know, either," she said. "I have a few hunches, but I really don't want to be right."

Aja pulled her sweater on and swung her bag over her shoulder, already changed from her sweaty uniform. "I'll meet you outside, yeah?" she asked. Sasha nodded, so she opened the back door of the changing rooms that led to the side of the school. 

She stared out across the playing field, her thoughts consumed by nothing and everything at the same time. She had no distinct thought apart from the constant repetition of her headteacher's words, nervous anger beginning to set in. The Glamazons were such a tight-knit group of friends, and she wasn't trusting a Bomber to handle their group. Of course Cynthia knew what she was doing, but this was sure to start another feud within the teams. It was like Miss RuPaul was just hungry for some drama. 

The changing room door squeaked open behind her, and walking hesitantly outside was Farrah, a small smile on her face. 

"I thought I spotted you sneak out here," she said quietly. 

"You seriously went across No Man's Land and through all the Glamazons just to speak to me?" Aja gushed. In all honesty, she was quite flattered. 

Farrah chuckled. "I was wondering if you wanted to come over and practise with me?" she asked, clasping her hands together. "I know it won't change Cynthia's decision, but... yeah. Sorry, it's a stupid idea-"

"That'd be great," Aja cut her off, smiling, "but I'm sort of supposed to be walking home with Sasha in a minute."

Farrah looked down at her hands. "I was kind of hoping you'd walk with me." She looked back up with that expression that Aja just couldn't say no to. She even tilted her head to the side like a lost puppy. 

"Sorry, Sasha and I always walk together," Aja replied. "I'll be at your house as soon as I can."

"Okay, I'll see you there. I'll text you my address," she said, pouting. She walked away towards the school gates, her ponytail bouncing on her shoulders. 

Sasha emerged from the changing rooms a few seconds later. "You ready to go?" she asked. 

-

"Have you seen videos of past competitors?" Farrah asked when Aja arrived. It was a strange feeling coming to her house for the first time and even being in her room. Her walls were pastel pink - a cheerful change to her bland white ones - and the bed was decorated with fairy lights. In all honesty, it looked like the bedroom of a 12-year-old, but it was oddly endearing. She had a couple of posters of Farrah Fawcett placed above her bed, too. 

"Err, nope," Aja replied. "I didn't really think of that."

"Holy _shit_ , they're good." She dumped herself down onto her bed and grabbed her phone. "Come sit here and watch."

Aja squeezed up next to her on the single bed, as Farrah had neglected to leave enough room for her. She moved her head closer to hers to see the tiny screen. 

Farrah was right. These cheerleaders didn't even look human with their expertly positioned legs and great timings, their bodies in perfect form and a terminally happy expression plastered on their faces. Their routines were full of lifts and spins, and even some tricks that only the most experienced could master. If this was what they'd be up against, they stood no chance. 

"Crazy, right?" Farrah questioned, turning towards Aja and ending up a little too close to her face. 

"We can't learn something like that by the summer," Aja said. Farrah's anxious breath tickled her cheek. 

"We can _try_. Let's have a go at some of them." She projected herself off of the bed and Aja followed. 

"So, what are we starting with?" Aja asked. 

"Ooh, let's try flips-"

"No, no, nope. We're leaving that to Shea," she said. "And maybe Valentina."

"What about some lifts or something?" Farrah suggested. 

"Don't we need, like, four people for that?"

"We could just do some simple ones." She walked behind Aja and placed her hands on her waist with a firm grip. "Jump on three; one, two, three." Aja sprung up and Farrah lifted her up high, spinning her round 180 degrees and then landing. "Simple enough for you?"

Aja did feel a little adrenaline being up as high as she was and a little spark where Farrah's hands were, but that was probably due to their coldness. Otherwise, it was way too basic compared to the other tricks they'd seen in the video. 

"We need something more than that," she said. "Something that actually takes effort."

"Hey!" Farrah scowled and crossed her arms. "That took effort."

Aja raised her eyebrows at her. 

"Oh, you want to see effort?" Farrah questioned, raising her eyebrows too. "What do you count as effort?"

"I don't know, something like that lift from _Dirty Dancing_. You know how hard that is?"

"So, let's do it."

Aja couldn't tell whether Farrah was joking or not. "Are you serious?" she asked. 

Farrah nodded. "Catch me." She stepped backwards and then ran at Aja, who outstretched her hands and grabbed her by the waist, straightening her arms and moving them upwards. Farrah stayed perfectly in the air for maybe a second or so before Aja couldn't bear the petite girl resting in her hands, and her elbows buckled. Farrah fell onto Aja and they landed on the floor in a giggling mess. 

"Maybe simple is better..." Aja admitted. 

Farrah felt the rise and fall of Aja's chest as she laughed. "We'll work on it," she chuckled.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that a decision's been made, the team can finally focus on the Tryouts. Aja has loosened the reins slightly on her friendship with Farrah as weeks have passed.

Everyone practically clawed their way down the corridors the next morning, anxious to see Cynthia's list on the gym door. Most of the girls had even got up early to make it to school as soon as possible - that's how much the place meant to them. Miss RuPaul had put all of her trust in the two teams to make this decision, and everyone knew that she was dead serious about them doing well at the tryouts in a few months. 

Aja and Sasha had walked briskly all the way to school, but didn't beat their friends to the list. By the time they'd arrived, all the cheerleaders were gathered round the small sheet of paper, some looking ecstatic and a couple looking sorry for themselves. They peered over their heads, with no luck of catching a name. 

"Let us through," Sasha demanded, pressing against the crowd. They reluctantly parted and let the two girls take a peek. The paper read:

 

_West Hollywood Cheerleader Tryouts - official team:_

_Bombers:_  
Cynthia  
Eureka  
Trinity  
Farrah  
Peppermint  
Valentina 

_Glamazons:_  
Aja  
Nina  
Shea  
Sasha  
Charlie  
Alexis 

 

"No Jaymes?" Aja whispered to Sasha, eyebrows furrowed. She knew how talented Jaymes was and the passion she had, despite the constant self-doubt. 

Sasha turned her head and spotted a somber-looking Jaymes stood against the wall. Kimora was slouched next to her, both of them mourning silently.

"Oh god, I can't bear to see her upset like this," she whispered back. 

"Should we do something?" Aja suggested. "Comfort her?"

Before they could even push their way back out of the crowd, a fleeting figure and wisps of brown hair whizzed past. Valentina approached the two disappointed girls, her eyes soft but serious and her head held high. 

"You guys listen here, okay?" she began, pointing her finger at them both. "Don't forget that you're amazing at cheerleading. Don't forget that you perform every week for this team." The rest of the cheerleaders went silent, turning their heads to watch the scene. "You guys will always be talented, no matter what that list makes you think; there's nothing we could've done to change the organisers' minds. So, don't beat yourself up. That's all."

"Thanks, Val," Kimora replied quietly, her face as still as stone and her eyes wide. 

"Yeah, thank you," Jaymes added, looking the same way. She'd never expected a Bomber to be so nice to her. 

Valentina smiled at them both, and then turned to the other girls. "You're all amazing, okay?" she reassured. "All of us are."

Trinity let out a whoop and clapped, encouraging the others to join in. They followed her motion, earning an even brighter smile from Valentina. Aja felt her previous annoyance towards the freshman simmer down - she wasn't completely up herself like she'd expected. In fact, she was proving herself to be quite a caring, as well as talented, 15-year-old. Aja certainly wouldn't have had the discipline and decency at her age, and she was only a couple years younger than her. 

Amidst the clapping, Aja caught Farrah's eyes on her, and she subtly looked in her direction. The two broke out into wide smiles, and Aja wanted nothing more than to pull Farrah and the rest of her friends into giant hug of celebration. Instead, they stayed standing where they were, their smiles not faltering, quietly relieved that their hard work had paid off. 

-

Over the following weeks, the team worked unbelievably hard. Practice was now twice a week, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and were now extended until 6pm. There were only minuscule breaks during the sessions, as Cynthia wasn't allowing her new selection of cheerleaders to flop at the tryouts in a couple of months. It'd been a bad idea of Farrah's to show her that video of a past team. 

Now that practices finished later, Aja often found herself walking home with Farrah. It was barely getting dark at 6pm, and James and Chuck had most likely learnt their lesson, but the girl was still cautious walking home in the evening. They'd meet at the top of the road that faced their school, daren't risking being seen together, and Aja would walk her to her house and make sure she got home safely. Sasha didn't tend to mind Aja leaving without her. After all, she had Shea to walk with, and the two were now basically joined at the hip. 

Farrah and Aja had, surprisingly, got much closer over the passing weeks. It wasn't strange now for them to be at each others' houses, and both their parents knew of their friendship. Both of their mothers were vastly different. While Aja's mom was a fierce, serious, Puerto-Rican lady, Farrah's mom had a relaxed and welcome expression, and spoke to Aja as if she was her own child. Not to say that they didn't show an equal amount of love to their daughters, it was just their way of expressing it. Aja's mom often left the two girls to themselves, and that was an arrangement that worked for everyone; Farrah's mom was constantly asking them "are you _sure_ you don't want some cookies?" and, "Aja, why don't you come round more often?", or words to that effect. It was sweet and kind of adorable, and the way she sometimes almost demanded that Aja came over reminded her of Farrah's neediness. 

As Aja stepped out of the changing room doors, and she found Luis walking into the boys' room with the other footballers. Sweat coated his hair and forehead, and in that moment it did amaze Aja how some of her friends could still find boys attractive in that post-exercise state. Two new guys, Jared and Bryce, had been recruited to replace James and Chuck, and needless to say, it was much more pleasant not having to stare down two criminals in the face every Tuesday evening at the games. 

"Luis, wait up!" Aja called. 

Luis turned around and smiled. "Aja," he replied, breathless, "what's up?" The rest of the footballers entered the changing rooms, and she approached him. 

"We haven't spoken in ages," she said. 

"Yeah, I noticed that. Football has me busy."

"Your practices doubled, too?" she asked. 

"Tripled," he said. "Miss RuPaul is really serious about this being the best season, and Mr. Mathews and Coach Kressley are pretty adamant about practices, as well."

"How are Jared and Bryce taking it?" Aja asked. 

"Pretty well. They're great at what they do."

Behind them, the door to the girls' changing rooms squeaked open, Alexis and Charlie emerging. _Shit_ , Aja cursed to herself. Alexis would lose her shit if she saw her and Luis talking - not because she was into Luis, but because she thought Aja was. In fact, most girls thought the same. 

"Ooh, don't let Bob see you two," Charlie teased, Alexis laughing along. 

Luis rolled his eyes. "She's not crazy. And she knows Aja from their neighbourhood, anyway," he said. 

"And I don't like Luis like that," Aja reiterated for what must've been the hundredth time. 

"Sure, sure," Alexis said, still giggling. Her and Charlie walked off, talking between themselves. 

"They're a little obsessed," Luis chuckled. 

"Yeah, most of them are," Aja said. "Anyway, I'm gonna dash. I should get home soon."

"Okay, see you soon. Nice talking to you."

"You too."

Aja made her way to the front doors of the school, knowing Farrah would probably be at the top of the road already. Frustration built up inside her, her friends' teasing words angering her. She didn't _really_ have a reason to be mad at them, and it certainly wasn't their fault - they had no idea she was gay. But even so, Aja felt like they could've laid off a little; Luis was clearly tired of it, too. 

Eventually, she reached Farrah, her brisk walking burning off some of her anger. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair nonchalantly, lamely disguising the fact that she was ever mad at all. 

"What took you so long?" Farrah questioned. 

"I was talking to Luis," Aja replied, just waiting for another accusation that she liked him. 

"Oh, yeah, Luis," she said instead. "I haven't spoken to him since... you know."

They began their walk to Farrah's house, and casually discussed their day. They'd talk about their classes, gossip, funny things they'd heard or seen. In all honesty, it was Aja's favourite part of a Wednesday and Thursday. Farrah's voice was so soothing when she spoke, and Aja could listen to it for hours. Even just telling her about some stupid shit one her friends had done was compelling. As well as that, Aja got to talk about whatever she wanted. Not that she couldn't do that with the Glamazons, but it just seemed funner with Farrah. 

"Anything interesting today?" Aja asked Farrah. 

Farrah shrugged. "Not really," she said. "But my dad called, apparently."

"Oh?" she said, eyes wide. "What for?" Neither one of them ever discussed their fathers. The topic had come up once before, but was soon put to rest when they both realised it was a sensitive subject. 

"He wanted to "check up" on us," Farrah said, mocking her father's words. She scoffed. "As if."

"What did your mom say?" Aja asked. 

"She hung up on him." She laughed. 

Aja laughed along. "Good on her."

Farrah sighed. "It's strange to think that he called. I mean, he hasn't given a single shit about us for so long, and now he's calling out of the blue?"

"He probably wanted something," Aja replied. "And this might sound harsh, but I don't think he cares about you and your mom."

"You're probably right," she said. 

They'd reached Farrah's house by now; it wasn't near where she'd been mugged and it was only a short distance from school, but Aja respected her cautiousness and made the diversion from her usual route every week. 

"I don't thank you enough for walking with me," Farrah told her. 

"Don't worry about it," Aja said. "It's no problem."

The shorter girl quickly pulled her into a tight hug, resting her chin on Aja's shoulder. Aja wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. 

"Again, thanks for walking with me," Farrah said, pulling away again. 

"Again, that's alright. I'll see you tomorrow." She left Farrah's house with a warm feeling in her heart.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Glamazons and the Bombers finally start to bond outside of school, with the help of one of Charlie's parties, of course.

_**Farrah**  
I always feel safer with her, and I don't know why._

Aja received the mysterious text that evening while eating dinner with her mom. She felt a nervous lump come up in her throat, and her mom seemed to notice her change in demeanour, as well. 

"What is it?" she asked, putting down her knife and fork. 

Aja looked up from her phone, the text still staring her in the face. "Just a text," she told her. 

"Is it Farrah?" her mom questioned. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah, it is," Aja said. She slowly put a chunk of her steak in her mouth and texted her back. Her mom still didn't pick up her cutlery. 

_**Aja**  
Who??_

Farrah texted back almost instantly. 

_**Farrah**  
Oh sorry, wrong number! Don't worry about it._

If it was any of her other friends, Aja would've immediately asked who the hell she was talking about. But considering she'd only been friends with Farrah for a short amount of time, she didn't know if they were at that stage in their friendship yet. 

"Yeah, she's alright," Aja assured her mom, and they both resumed eating normally. 

"She's a nice girl," her mother commented a few minutes later. "Very sweet. I don't know why you didn't invite her round sooner."

"Uh, we only recently became friends," she said. She took a nervous gulp of water. 

"But I thought you said she does cheerleading?" She cocked her head to the side. 

"She's, err... She's on the opposite team."

Her mother raised one eyebrow, and Aja prepared for the worst. But it wasn't like her mom took cheerleading as seriously as her friends. 

"Oh?" she said. "And what does Sasha think about it?"

"Sasha doesn't know." Guilt swirled in the pit of her stomach, and Aja suddenly felt full. 

"Dishonesty is never good, Aja," her mother warned, her serious tone coming back into play. She got up from the table, taking her plate and putting it in the dishwasher. 

"I know," Aja groaned. "I'll tell her at some point." Both of them knew that was a big, fat lie. She shoved the last of her steak into her mouth and took her plate out, too. 

Her phone buzzed with a text again, and she secretly hoped it was Farrah.

_**Sasha**  
Charlie's having a party tomorrow night. You coming?_

It didn't help the guilt that Aja felt by not walking home with Sasha anymore after practice, so she didn't feel like she was in the place to turn down an invite. After all, what harm could a party do?

_**Aja**  
Sure! What time?_

_**Sasha**  
9pm at Charlie's. She tells me to tell you to bring booze. _

_**Aja**  
No problem. See you tomorrow, normal time?_

_**Sasha**  
Yup._

-

The party the next night reminded Aja of the one that took place after their final rehearsal, and it was the perfect way to end a Friday. Just as always, Charlie's garden reeked of cheap alcohol, but it wasn't one of her parties without the stench. Peering in the window while she waited for someone to come to the door, she could see that there were no footballers in sight. 

The door clicked open and Shea greeted her, a tipsy Sasha under her right arm. The music coming from inside was suddenly released in full force. 

"Ajy-poo!" Sasha exclaimed, extending her arms and inviting Aja in for a hug. 

Aja pulled both girls into an embrace. "Hey, guys," she said, smiling, and pulled back. "Drinking already?"

"We got here early," Shea said. "We figured Charlie might want help setting up, considering she normally does it herself. Sasha wasn't much help."

"Hey!" Sasha said, playfully slapping Shea's shoulder. They looked at each other for a second with adoring eyes. 

Aja shut the door behind her. "Is anyone else here yet?" she asked. 

"Nina's in the living room," Sasha said. "And Alexis is on her way."

"What about Jaymes?" Aja questioned. 

"I haven't heard back from her yet."

Aja nodded in acknowledgement. She entered the living room to find Nina lying on the couch with a drink in her hand. Below the window at the front of the room was a small, round table topped with and surrounded by six-packs of beer, cider, gin, you name it; Aja dumped the pack she'd brought on top of the ever growing pile - she was extremely lucky that her mom hadn't caught her with it. There was certainly a lot more than usual, but maybe Charlie was just planning for them to all slip into some sort of coma after they'd finished. 

"Hey, Nina," Aja greeted, grabbing one of the bottles of beer from the already opened pack. 

"Hi," Nina replied and took a sip of her drink. The music thumped through Aja's beer as she drank, too. 

Shea and Sasha returned to the living room, Sasha reaching for more booze. She curled up next to Shea on the couch, who picked up a can resting on its arm. Their comfortability with each other was a lot clearer now they'd told the others they were together, and the sight of Sasha's beaming smile brought Aja a warm feeling of happiness. 

The party was a lot less exciting with only a few people. At least with the footballers here, there were people to dance with and the atmosphere was less dead, even if it did cause drama with the Bombers. Aja had a feeling that it wouldn't get much more exciting than this. It was unnatural for Charlie to have a party this quiet. 

Alexis busted through the door, a couple of packs of beer in her hands. 

"No footballers this time?" she said, clocking the table at the front and placing the packs there. 

"Apparently not," Aja said. She could cut through the awkwardness with a knife. 

Charlie emerged from the kitchen, wobbling slightly as she walked, her bottle of cider to blame. 

"So, guys," she said, sitting down with her drink. "I was actually thinking of doing something different tonight."

"Hmm?" Alexis said, leaning against the table. 

"What is it?" Aja asked. 

"Well..." Charlie said, twiddling her thumbs. "I invited the Bombers. All the footballers are invited, too, and I wanted to avoid what happened last time. And we've all got so close, y'know?"

Aja's eyes widened profusely, and she felt as if she'd just been frozen to her spot on the couch. She wasn't prepared for the awkwardness that would most definitely occur between her and Farrah tonight, and she was even less ready for her friends' observations of everyone, including them. It was going to happen sooner or later, but Aja would've preferred for it to be never. 

"I'm down," Shea said. "The Bombers are actually... nice."

"Yeah," Sasha agreed. 

A knock at the door interrupted them. 

"Come in!" Charlie called towards the sound, and a whole gaggle of Bombers entered the living room. They all looked a little starstruck, to say the least. 

"So, this is what it looks like," Farrah muttered under her breath, looking around the room. It was strange to be in a place that made her feel so unwanted last time she was there. 

Once all the cheerleaders had entered, several footballers followed in afterwards, heading straight for the drinks table. In a matter of minutes, cardboard was strewn across the floor and each person had a bottle or a can in their hand, and Charlie was up quickly to turn up the music. The dead atmosphere was immediately resurrected, and everyone got up from their seats to dance. Maybe enjoying this night wouldn't be that hard. 

As the evening passed, everyone got increasingly drunker. The footballers and a few of the cheerleaders had been continuously flirting, the amount of alcohol became meagre, and the music developed into a blur of sounds. Aja could feel a warm haze engulf her, her whole body buzzing lightly with the rush of alcohol in her veins. She was standing next to Charlie's kitchen table, propping herself up with the top of one of the chairs and sipping a can of beer. The kitchen was the noticeably quieter part of the house, with not many people staying in there for long. The harsh lights that lit up the room cast a spell of sobriety over the people that entered, so the dark surroundings of the living room were much preferred. 

"Hello, stranger," Farrah slurred, leaning up against the doorframe. 

Aja turned around to face her, and she couldn't help a smile breaking out across her face. 

"Hey," she said. 

"Enjoying the party?" Farrah asked, stepping into the room and leaning against the other chair beside the table. Her eyes were glossy and seemed to gaze over Aja, and she wore an affectionate smile. 

"Yeah, I'm happy we got to do this," Aja said, returning the grin. "It looks like our teams actually _like_ each other. Or at least tolerate one another."

Farrah giggled. "Charlie's a great host. There's enough alcohol here to kill us." She walked over to the sink, grabbing a glass from the side and filling it with water. 

"Trying to sober up?"

She nodded and took a quick sip. "Not that this'll do much."

"Promise me you'll walk home with someone?" Aja piped up, almost saying it as a request.

"What? Why?" Farrah asked, furrowing her eyebrows. 

"Because you're drunk. And I..." It'd absolutely destroy Aja if something bad happened to Farrah. She wasn't her responsibility, she knew that, but their routine of walking home in the evening made her feel overly protective. Farrah was always anxious walking alone at night, and while being drunk was relaxing, it presented dangers that Aja didn't even want to think about. God, she felt like a cautious parent. 

"And?" Farrah raised her eyebrows. 

"And I don't want anything to happen to you."

" _Ohh_ ," she almost whimpered; the sound made her seem in pain, yet endeared. "Aja, I'll be alright. I'll walk home with Kimora if it makes you feel any better."

"That would, thanks." Aja looked down at her feet. 

Farrah stepped forward and pulled her into an embrace. "Don't be embarrassed," she said, her voice muffled by Aja's hair. 

"I-I'm not embarrassed," she stuttered. 

"Sure, sure," she pulled away. "Come on, dance with me. Distract yourself." She extended her hand and Aja took it. A weight sat on her shoulders as she wondered how their friends would react, but the alcohol in her system numbed her fear. She was going to enjoy this night with Farrah, and there was nothing they could do or say to prevent that.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In thejr hungover state, Farrah spends the day at Aja's house.

"God, my head hurts so _much_ ," Farrah moaned, rolling over in Aja's bed and dragging the duvet with her. 

In light of their hangover, the two girls were both spending the day together. Farrah, not one for doing things simply, had invited herself over to Aja's so they could share their pain, but mostly so she wouldn't get on her mom's nerves. Her constant whining was only met with remorselessness, but she continued complaining until she was displeased with her lack of attention, and so took to Aja. Aja wasn't the most pleased about being landed with her in her current state, but she didn't have the heart to turn her away. 

"Hey, don't steal all of the covers," Aja said and snatched them back. She was feeling particularly snappy today. "And drink some more water."

"Okay, _mom_ ," she replied, but did as she was told anyway. "What are we gonna watch?"

They'd been mindlessly scrolling through Netflix on Aja's iPad, trying to find something they'd both enjoy but coming up short. Above all, Farrah preferred cheesy movies as apposed to literally anything in-depth like what Aja wanted to watch, but neither had the physical capability to follow a storyline. 

"I don't even know," Aja said, groaning. Her headache was absolutely killing her, but she knew any amount of complaining she did would be overshadowed by Farrah. 

"What about this one?" She pointed at a movie that Aja was sure they'd passed around four times now. Everything she wanted to watch starred insert-generic-"2008-hot"-actress and insert-greasy-white-guy and was about insert-overused-plot, but Farrah was adamant that this was a great film and she'd enjoy it. 

"No, thanks," Aja replied. 

" _Please_ ," Farrah begged. 

"Are you always this demanding, or just in the morning?"

She pouted. "It's good, I swear."

"How about I scroll randomly and then we watch the first movie that comes up?" Aja suggested, desperate to avoid something so boring. 

She hesitated before replying. "Okay, deal." They shook hands. 

She forcefully swiped her finger up the screen and anticipated what movie they'd be stuck with, praying to God that it'd be somewhat interesting. The screen slowly came to a stop, and the first one that came up looked just as boring as the rest. Not to Aja's surprise, Farrah was overjoyed. 

"Seriously, you've _never_ seen this one?" she questioned. "It's a cheerleader movie! Well, kind of. It's _about_ a cheerleader."

"They're all cliché," Aja said. "I've seen _Bring It On_."

Farrah seemed to take offence, opening her mouth in shock. "I'll pretend you didn't say that," she said. "And, I promise you, this one isn't cliché." She played the movie and cocooned herself in Aja's duvet, scooting closer to her so she could see the screen. They settled down in silence, enjoying the movie and each other's company. To Aja's surprise, she actually began to enjoy it, but she wouldn't let Farrah know that. 

As the movie went on, she realised that this was the longest amount of time that she'd seen Farrah quiet, and, despite their pounding headaches, the atmosphere was peaceful. She watched her chest rise and fall slowly against the covers and noticed how her hair dusted the edge of Aja's arm. She looked entirely engrossed in the movie, her eyes fleeting to each part of the screen when something came into the foreground. Each passing scene seemed to just draw her in further, even though it seemed like she'd probably watched this over a hundred times. 

Farrah looked over at Aja, a small smirk on her face. "The movie's too boring for you?" she asked. 

"Err, yeah," Aja lied, tearing her gaze from where she'd been looking. She'd actually become quite invested in what they were watching. 

"We haven't even got to the good part yet!" 

"The best part will be when it ends."

"Actually, the ending _is_ the best part." She grinned mischievously. 

"The cheerleader gets with that girl she's friends with?" Aja questioned hopefully. 

Farrah's happy expression quickly turned into a glare, and she crossed her arms. "How did you guess that?!" she asked. 

Aja rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?" she said. "They clearly like each other, and Megan is determined to make things right, even if that means breaking the rules. And Graham - which, by the way, is a strange name for a teenage girl - is very clearly gay and doesn't want anything to do with boys."

Farrah stared at her, dumbfounded. "I need some more Tylenol," was all she said. She moved from their close proximity and reached for the bottle, but revealed that there was none left. Cue the whining. 

" _Aja_ -"

"We probably have some more," she said, already getting out of bed. "I'll go and ask my mom."

She was quiet again, somewhat contented, and lay back in Aja's bed. Aja trudged down the stairs, her head thumping more at the sudden movement. Her mom was sitting on the sofa enjoying that morning's TV, not paying much attention to the two girls upstairs. 

"Have we got any more Tylenol?" she asked, already digging through the kitchen cupboards. 

"Yeah, just in the cupboard above the sink," her mother said. "Your head hurts that much?"

"No, Farrah's does," she said, grabbing the almost-full pot. 

"I'll make you two some tea," she told her, getting up from the couch. Her mother only tended to make tea for Aja's friends if she liked them; so far only Sasha had received some, and it surprised Aja that her mom was warming up to Farrah this quickly. Nevertheless, she brushed the thought off and thanked her, dragging herself back upstairs with the bottle of Tylenol. 

"You're a lifesaver," Farrah proclaimed, extending her arms up into the air. 

Aja handed her the bottle. "You're welcome," she said, chuckling. 

She'd noticed that Farrah had continued the movie without her, which made her a bit miffed, but she could always watch it again later. Farrah was quiet and content, and that was good enough for her. She settled back into bed and let the warmth envelope her, quickly becoming drowsy once again. A couple minutes later, her mom arrived at the door with two cups of tea, as promised. 

"Here you girls go," she said, handing them a mug each. "Let this be a lesson that you don't get this drunk again."

"I won't bother you guys again if we do," Farrah said, taking a sip. "And Aja's always welcome at mine." Aja looked over at her, and there was a beaming smile present on her face. 

"Don't lecture us, mom," Aja groaned. 

"Oh, but you know it's true." She chuckled and bid the two goodbye, leaving the room to go back to watching TV. 

They got back to their movie, and Farrah was snuggled so far into the bed that Aja was sure she'd disappear underneath all the fabric; she reminded her of a child on a sick day. As the movie progressed, Farrah's head slowly sank from her pillow and onto Aja's arm, her eyes barely open. Eventually, she landed on her lap, startling herself as she fell. 

Aja laughed at her. "The movie's too boring for you?" she mocked. 

Farrah rolled over with a scowl, her hair spreading out freely. "No, and I know you're enjoying it, too," she said. 

"Oh, you do?"

"Mm-hmm." She nodded. "I can tell. You have the same look of concentration as when we're in practice."

Aja admired her observation, although wasn't necessarily pleased by it. "Fine, maybe it's good," she admitted. 

Seeming happy with the response, Farrah rolled back over, staying on Aja's lap. Her long, golden hair covered her back like a soft blanket; Aja always had the habit of stroking people's hair when their heads were on her lap, but she had no idea how Farrah would react to that. In terms of affection, she constantly felt like their friendship was treading on eggshells, as all new friendships did. It only took one thing to ruin it. With a little Dutch courage still in her system, she placed a tentative hand on Farrah's head and began to stroke her hair. 

It was comforting that she didn't react. She lay there, still as stone apart from her breathing, and Aja let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. The tension she imagined between them was eased. 

"Do I annoy you?" Farrah asked all of a sudden. So much for no tension. 

"What? No!" Aja exclaimed, retracting her hand. "Why did that suddenly come to your mind?"

"I don't know..." she said, rolling over and looking up at her with furrowed eyebrows. "I just realised I whine a lot, and no one really likes it."

"You _just_ realised you whine a lot?" Aja joked, raising her eyebrows at her. When Farrah glared back, she knew that she was being serious. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But, no, you don't annoy me."

"Even when I complain all the time?" she asked. 

"Even when you complain all the time."

Farrah reached for her hand again, and held it in a soft grip. "I don't think I've ever told you how much I appreciate you," she said with a soft smile. "I mean, you're just so sweet. You let me crash here for the day without me even asking; you pretty much always offer your house up to me. You actually tolerate my whining. Sometimes I dread to think what would've happened if you hadn't found me that night and invited me in."

Farrah's speech almost brought a tear to Aja's eyes, and it absolutely broke her heart that she thought she would find her annoying. Sure, her complaints got on everyone's nerves, even her own, but Farrah was a wonderful person, and one thing couldn't change that. 

"I-I don't really know what to say," Aja stuttered. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you_."

"I appreciate the random proclamation of love."

"Well, you deserve it." Farrah smiled up at her. "And... can you play with my hair again? It was really relaxing." A blush appeared on her cheeks. 

"Of course," Aja said, slightly taken aback. Farrah let go of her hand and turned over, and Aja began again. At last, they were both relaxed. 

It's a strange feeling to have a forbidden friend in your house and you're stroking their hair while you're both hungover and watching a movie about a lesbian cheerleader. It's even stranger when it's the most enjoyable thing you've done all week. Aja felt like her and Farrah just clicked, no matter that they were supposed to be rivals. And with their teams growing closer with each week, things were looking like they'd turn out for the best. It was just the courage that Aja was lacking.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The football season is finally coming to the nitty-gritty, and Aja decides on confessing a thing or two to her friends. But so much tension has built up between them that it could easily go wrong.

This week's game had been long awaited. Over the past few weeks, it was looking as if the Bombers were going to take the trophy this year, with their wins quickly stacking up. Today was the third game before the final, and this was always where things started to heat up - even the cheerleaders were nervous, Sasha, in particular. 

"Seriously, I'm scared!" she repeated to Aja for the fourth time. All the girls were standing under the bleachers, pom-poms anxiously clutched in their hands. The teams had slowly begun to integrate over the course of the past month of two, and now both shared their nervous conversations beforehand. 

"Sasha, it'll be perfectly alright," Aja reassured. "We're not the ones playing, remember?"

"Still," Sasha said, "I want them to do well. This'll reflect on us, too."

Aja grabbed her shoulders. "Don't worry about it," she said. "It'll be fine, no matter who wins."

Sasha pulled her into a hug. "God, I hope so. I don't know why I'm freaking out so much."

"Just... don't think about it too much." They both pulled away and Sasha nodded. 

"Guys, get in line," Shea hissed. "We're about to go on."

Everyone did as they were told; Aja nervously approached the front of the line so she could lead them on, with the others obediently following behind her. Sasha looked up at her girlfriend with desperate eyes, and Shea's expression instantly softened. She gently kissed Sasha's forehead and smiled at her, a silent reassurance that quietened her panic. All of them tended to get in their own heads when it came to this game, it just so happened that Sasha was more vocal about it. 

When the cheering from the crowd above them started, they knew that was their cue to come on. Aja took a deep breath and held tightly to her pom-poms, and pranced out from behind the purple and orange striped curtain that closed them off from the field. The applause suddenly became louder once they'd entered, and it filled them all with adrenaline. Somehow each time they came out here, they felt like it was their first. 

"Okay, folks," Mr. Mathews said over the speakers. "Overall, the B-52 Bombers have the most game wins, but RuPaul's Glamazons are only a couple behind."

The cheerleaders got into their starting positions, Aja standing proudly at the front with the rest of the Glamazons behind her, and the Bombers at the side anticipating their turn. In all honesty, the routine had been performed to exhaustion, but they still had fun with it. 

"There are only two more games, this being one of them, until the final," he continued. The crowd _oohed_ with a twinge of sarcasm. "And with that, let's begin!" He blew the whistle and the already-lined up footballers began to play, determination in their eyes. 

-

"And, it's a victory for RuPaul's Glamazons!" Mr. Mathews congratulated, rising out of his chair to clap and cheer. Everyone sitting in the bleachers followed suite, standing up to applaud the end of the game. The Glamazons pulled each other into a tight squeeze, screaming hysterically. Even though it wasn't them who were playing, they still felt as if they'd won, too. Sasha looked far more relaxed; to be fair, they all did. 

"Guys, we did it!" Jaymes exclaimed with a squeal. "Well, the footballers did."

"It's still a victory," Nina said, a broad smile on her face. 

"This is our first win in, like, three weeks?!" Aja added, the statement only bringing her shock after she'd said it aloud. 

"I guess this calls for-" Charlie began, but was cut off by an ecstatic Shea. 

"No parties, no drinking," she said. "I want us to remember tonight, at least for now. Why don't we all come back to mine? It's been a while since we've just hung out like normal." She looked around the group for the others' approval, which she received immediately. 

Aja tensed up a little. She'd turned down invites too many times for her excuses to pass anymore, and besides, she'd hate to leave Farrah walking home alone. She was at a crossroads. 

"Sorry, I'm meeting Kandy soon," she lied. 

"Come on, _please_?" Sasha begged. "We never see you outside of school anymore."

"I can come by later...?" she offered. "I won't be that long."

Sasha's lips were pressed into a firm line. She stared Aja down for a second before saying something. 

"Sure," she said. The celebratory atmosphere had quickly fizzled out as her friends exited the stadium, leaving her trailing behind a couple of metres. Aja felt a sharp sting in her heart. 

She waited anxiously under the bleachers, just hidden from view by the drawn curtain. Keeping secrets from her friends always ate her up inside, and the guilt just festered on her thoughts. Disloyalty was one of her biggest pet peeves. 

Farrah found her a couple of minutes later once all their friends had cleared out. The stadium had just begun releasing people, but no one paid that close attention to anything at the sides; the two could talk safely. 

"Congratulations on the win," Farrah said, smiling up at Aja. 

Aja returned the smile weakly, responding with a simple, "Thanks."

Farrah's grin faded. "What's wrong?" she asked, running her hand along Aja's shoulder. "Did something happen?"

She looked down at her feet, playing with the hem of her shirt. "We need to tell our friends that we're close," she said. She looked back up at her, and there was a look of confusion plastered on her face. 

"Why the sudden change of thoughts?" Farrah asked, stopping her movements. 

"I can't balance things anymore," Aja said. "My excuses don't work. They're clearly pissed."

"I've been thinking the same thing..." Farrah admitted. "It's just... aren't you afraid of them reacting badly? I'm terrified." She looked down at the ground. 

"Of course I am!" Aja exclaimed. "But if I lose them, then I'd rather lose them being honest than keeping a secret." Aja would never be willing to give up a friend, whether she'd known them for years, or just a few months. But if she didn't come forward now, the universe would make her choose one person over another. 

"You won't lose them, okay?" Farrah assured, and resumed stroking her shoulder. "It won't be as bad as we think."

"Can we just leave here?" Aja pleaded. "I want to go home."

"Sure," she said, and they blended into the crowd. As they were walking, Farrah slipped her hand into Aja's and gave it a tight squeeze. 

-

It was now, or never. 

Aja had never felt so confident yet so incredibly anxious walking to someone's house, and the way she was moving probably made her look like a newborn giraffe. All the possible outcomes played through her mind, but the one that came forward the most was complete and utter rejection. But honesty was something she cherished, and was probably her only motivation right now. 

Farrah had made a vow alongside hers to tell the Bombers as well, and if all went swimmingly, the two teams could maybe become even closer. After all, who could deny Farrah something when she gave them That Look? Aja was slowly becoming immune to it, but there were always times where she'd give in. 

At last, she arrived at Shea's house, and her surroundings were deadly quiet; she spotted a faint glow of light from her bedroom at the front of the house, and heard some faint speaking. She knocked at the door and the speaking stopped, and in a matter of seconds Shea was at the door. Her eyes widened when she saw Aja, but quickly fixed her expression to mask her shock. 

"You weren't with Kandy for long, then?" she asked. 

"Well, about that," Aja replied, and Shea raised a sculpted brow. "I'll explain once I'm inside."

Shea stepped to the side to let her through, and they both went back upstairs. The other five girls all turned their heads toward the door when Aja greeted them, some doing their best to feign a neutral expression. 

"Can I talk to you all about something?" Aja asked, sitting down on the swivel chair at Shea's desk. "Two things, actually." Now she was here, she might as well have been fully true to herself. She was going to come out first, and save her confessions for second. 

"Go ahead," Sasha said. For the first time in a month, she looked at Aja with hope in her eyes. 

She took a deep breath. "Well, this is something I've wanted to tell you all for a while," she began, "and I figured a couple of seconds ago that now is a good time. I'm..." She paused for a second and took another deep breath, daring to look up at her friends. They all looked concerned for her except Sasha, who had a giant smile on her lips. "I'm gay."

Sasha immediately leaped up from Shea's bed and engulfed Aja in a hug, and her whole body was filled with relief. The remainder clapped awkwardly, unsure of how to react. However, if her next statement was taken badly, Aja was sure that that would be the last hug her and Sasha would ever share, and the final feeling of acceptance that she'd receive from them. 

"I'm proud of you," Shea said, a beaming smile on her face to match Sasha's. 

Sasha pulled back and sat down again, looking at Aja like she was a proud mother. The rest of her friends looked overjoyed, and Aja's heart was filled with a nervous pride. 

"Is that why you've been acting so distant?" Alexis asked. "Because you were afraid of us judging you or something?"

"Yes, and no," Aja replied. "Which brings me onto my second thing, I guess."

Alexis nodded at her encouragingly. 

"Well, you guys know Farrah?" she asked. Stupid question, but somewhat a time delay. 

They all nodded in unison, and a couple of them shared a confused glance. 

"We've been... close. Even before our teams had to come together. I was there when she got mugged. We've been - friends? I guess - since then. So, I've been walking home with her after practice and all our games, and that's why I've been blowing you all off. I'm sorry about that, truly."

The Glamazons stared back at her, stunned. Their previous happy expressions were dead, now replaced with stiff, gaunt faces. 

"You blew us off just to walk home with someone else?" Alexis questioned. "You could've-"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Aja said. 

"Can't she walk home by herself?" Shea asked. "I know she whines and all, but she's not a little kid."

That statement filled Aja top-full with rage. "It's scary for her, okay?!" was all she managed to get out through her anger. "She was mugged, for fuck's sake!"

"Aja, calm it," Sasha said softly, looking between her and Shea. "I'm sure Shea didn't mean anything bad by that. And thank you for being honest with us." Aja shot her a quick smile, her irritation still flaring. 

"It's just... a shock," Jaymes added. "You know the B-52 Bombers have been our rivals for years, and still kind of are."

Aja simply nodded. "Yeah."

"You guys are just gonna let this go?" Alexis countered, crossing her arms over her chest. "It took her _weeks_ to tell us this, something that's actually very important. I mean, do you know what would've happened if anyone had known about the friendship _before_ we started practising for the tryouts?" 

"Yes, and I knew someone would react like this!" Aja exclaimed. "We're friends, okay? I'm friends with a Bomber."


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aja begins to question her feelings towards a certain friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fortunately we were blessed with real-life Farraja this week, sorry just about to have a fangirl moment here!! Someone please message me on tumblr so we can freak out together lmao (my blog is @artificialmillie ;))  
> And apologies for the slightly short and messy chapter, I've been hounded with work all week -_-

"She'll come around, okay?" Sasha reassured Aja through the phone. "Maybe it's just hard for her to take in."

Aja collapsed onto her bed, exhausted from crying. Her mother had desperately tried to comfort her, but Aja couldn't bear to see her share the grief. Certain situations were reserved for your best friends just by default. 

"Yeah, maybe next century," she replied. 

"She's supposed to be one of your best friends," Sasha said. "Try talking to her alone and calmly, and I'm sure she'll understand."

"No," she said pointedly. "I don't want to right now."

"Well, what are you gonna do?" Sasha asked, and Aja knew that "I'll continue moping, thanks" probably wasn't the right answer. 

"I don't know," she huffed. "Sleep it off?"

"Not a bad idea, actually," Sasha said. "Go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight." She hung up and threw her phone to the end of her bed in a burst of anger, proceeding to pull herself up and turn off the light. She retrieved her phone and got under her covers, too enraged to even think about sleep. 

_**Farrah**  
How did it go?_

Aja's tense muscles relaxed, and a weak smile appeared on her face, despite her current emotions. 

_**Aja**  
Absolutely shit. And you?_

_**Farrah**  
Not bad, I guess. And what happened? :(_

_**Aja**  
Everyone - I think - was alright with it apart from Alexis. She was so pissed. _

_**Farrah**  
At least most of them were okay?_

_**Aja**  
But she's supposed to be one of my best friends. And her reacting like this makes it feel like I have no support. _

Aja could feel herself tearing up again, and she bit down on her bottom lip. 

_**Farrah**  
Call me. _

Neglecting her worries of sounding like a blabbering mess, she rang Farrah, who picked up before the first ring had even sounded. 

"Talk to me," she demanded. "Get it all out."

Aja had never been so grateful to hear that girl's voice. Immediately, she began to rant, letting her fury loose and setting it on her listener. Farrah was silent, bar when she filled in the gaps with "mhmm" and "I agree". Aja had soon burst into floods of tears again, the anger she felt growing ever stronger. 

"So, yeah," she finished with a sniff. "That's the story of my disaster evening. How was yours?"

"They took it okay," Farrah said. "They didn't jump up and scream with joy, but they didn't act like your friends."

"At least we've got one group on our side." Aja let out a sigh. 

"God, I hate seeing you upset," Farrah said. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Just you being here helps," Aja croaked. "I just wish you were _actually_ here."

"Come over," she said jokingly. 

"Can I actually?" Aja asked, trying and failing to hide the sheer hope in her voice. She couldn't stand to be alone right now.

"I mean, sure," Farrah said. "If that's alright with your mom."

"It'll have to be." Although the warmth of her bed was tugging her back, Aja pushed herself out of it, nothing but the thought of a bountiful hug from Farrah keeping her moving. 9pm wasn't a ridiculous time to go to someone's house, right?

-

"Don't cry; don't cry; don't _cry_ ," Farrah insisted, taking Aja into her arms as soon as she stepped through the door. Farrah's mom was already prepared in the kitchen with mugs of mint tea for them both, a warm smile accompanying them. Aja managed to hold in her tears this time. 

"Aja, sweetie, are you okay?" her mom cooed, peering round the kitchen door. 

Farrah pulled away and rested her hand on Aja's lower back. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be alright," she said, forcing a smile. "Thanks for letting me come over."

"It's no problem," she said, bringing the two cups to the girls in the hallway. "If you need anything, just shout." She retreated back to the kitchen, and Aja was grateful to be left alone with her friend. 

She took a long sip of her tea, while Farrah looked at her with forlorn. "Do you want to go upstairs?" she asked, and Aja nodded in response. 

Farrah was that one person who had snacks in her room at all times, which she offered to the upset girl gratuitously. They both squeezed onto Farrah's single bed, curling up together and surrounding themselves with snacks. Farrah wrapped a caring arm around Aja, and pulled her into a secure hug. 

"So," she began, "what do you want to do? We have all the snacks we could ever need; will that cheer you up?"

Aja chuckled weakly. "I don't know what I want to do," she said, absently tugging at the hem of her cheer t-shirt. Taking it off once she'd got home had been the last thing on her mind. "I'm just... angry."

"I'm not surprised." She squeezed Aja close to her. "What do you think practice will be like tomorrow?"

Aja's stomach sank. "Ugh, I don't even want to think about that," she groaned. "I bet everyone will be watching us, especially Alexis so she can find some _other_ reason to _hate_ us." She clenched her fists, her fingernails digging aggressively into the palms of her hands. 

"Whoa, whoa, chill," Farrah said. "She doesn't hate us. She doesn't hate you."

"It sure feels like it." Her voice cracked. 

Farrah pulled her closer - if that was even possible - and gently kissed the top of her head. Aja almost froze and tensed up at the unexpected action, but quickly relaxed into her touch. It was calming to just lay there in her arms, everything silent and unmoving, with her posture bordering on protective. She wanted to reach out and grab some candy from Farrah's collection of snacks, but wouldn't dare break the embrace. Aja wondered if she'd always liked Farrah's hugs this much. 

At some point that evening, Aja had begun to drift off into a calm sleep. It seemed that Farrah didn't have the heart to push her out of the bed, let alone her house, and so they both had to make do with the small space they had; normally when one slept over, they'd be in separate beds, and this was their first time together. 

"Are you comfy?" Farrah asked Aja, whose eyes were already fluttering shut. She climbed into her bed and shuffled up closer to her in fear of falling out of it. 

Aja gave a small, slow nod, and mindlessly tugged on Farrah's t-shirt to pull her towards her. Farrah obliged and wrapped her arm around her before switching off the lamp beside her. The dark had an immediate effect on their energy, and both were now far too tired to talk. The last thing Aja remembered as they fell asleep was Farrah's breath tinged with the smell of mint, and the lack of space between them. And in that moment, she asked herself if it was possible to be so angry yet so at peace at the same time. 

-

Aja woke up the next morning to the feeling of Farrah slipping out of bed. Of course, she'd woken up at her usual earlier time and was already getting ready while Aja stayed curled up under her covers. 

She briefly opened her eyes and noticed that Farrah had neglected to switch on the light, which she was grateful for. Over by the wardrobe on the other side of the room was Farrah, quickly flicking through her clothes until she found something she liked. Once she'd picked something out, she dropped it to the ground and lifted her current t-shirt off and over her shoulders, exposing her tan skin. Aja was mesmerised for a moment as she watched her slowly remove the shirt, chucking it to the floor and revealing a black, lace bra. She stared for a second before she realised what she was doing and then quickly rolled back over, embarrassed and blushing profusely. 

Farrah's head snapped towards her direction. "Good morning, sleepyhead," she teased. 

Aja stretched to pretend she'd only just woken up. "Morning," she said. 

"How are you feeling?" she asked. 

She turned over again, and Farrah had a shirt on. She stood resting on one leg, her expression showing concern. 

"Better than yesterday, I guess," she said. "Do you have anything I can wear today?"

Farrah didn't look convinced, but decided to move on with the subject change. She forked through her clothes and paused when she came to a sweater. She took it off the hanger and presented it. 

"This is yours, actually," she said, looking down. "The one you let me borrow. I've got the jeans, too. I've been meaning to give them back."

Aja's eyes widened - she'd completely forgot about them. "Oh, that's great," she said. She pushed herself up and out of Farrah's bed and grabbed the clothes. "I'll go and get changed." 

Aja felt oddly awkward, but she couldn't shake the feeling why. Maybe it was the fact she'd shared a bed with Farrah for the first time, or maybe because she'd - and she hated to admit it - unapologetically watched her get changed. She'd never thought of Farrah in _that_ way before, and in all honesty, she didn't want to. They were friends, and that was it; if anything went further than that then she'd risk their entire friendship.

Sighing, she made her way to the bathroom to get changed. Her sweater now smelt of Farrah's perfume, but it wasn't overwhelming like she thought it would be. The sweet scent of roses with Aja's current worries circling through her head just made her question more, although no query she had was distinguishable amongst the crowd. Maybe she _had_ enjoyed her company last night just as much as she'd done previously; maybe she _had_ felt that kind of peace within her before; or perhaps she was just grateful for Farrah being there when she needed it most, just like Sasha had been. But what if what she was feeling now was something entirely different? God, was she confused as hell.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are tense between the teams again, and Aja still isn't much closer to figuring out her feelings.

Practice that day was... awkward, to say the least. In fact, every second at school was. The usual cheerful discussion coming from their table at lunch had fizzled out. Across the canteen, things didn't seem much livelier for the Bombers, either, but at least there was some conversation being made. The majority of their break and lunch consisted of apprehensive glances between the two tables. 

The silence gave Aja time to think, but it wasn't time she was grateful for. Her continuous train of thought was just of Farrah, and she couldn't seem to break it for the life of her. Throughout the whole of their friendship, she'd never been so fixated on her until this point. And to make matters worse, she was starting to feel guilty about this morning, but she just couldn't shake the image of Farrah in her bra and shorts out of her mind. 

Today's practice had probably been the most intense, and Cynthia knew they were short on time. Their routine had doubled in the two or three hours they'd been trapped in the sports hall, and everyone's bodies were in intense pain. All through their practising, Cynthia dropped a couple of looks at Aja, but none seemed to threaten her; they were more or less looks of sympathy. Cynthia didn't have a mean bone in her body, and she certainly didn't let outside problems interfere with her school life. 

Aja just couldn't help but admire Farrah that afternoon. It was like the morning had awoken her to things she'd neglected to notice before, although they weren't particularly enlightening. It was things like unintentionally seductive hair flips; the rising of her skirt every time she even moved an inch; her occasional glances that forced Aja to look away. Somehow, she still managed to look so good amongst the sweaty masses. It was beginning to drive Aja insane. 

After a torturous couple of hours, the teams cleared out of the hall to get changed. When Aja was but a tiny freshman, the changing rooms were the place that she feared the most. Inside them was where everyone vaguely unpopular was subject to ridicule, teased and made fun of for no reason other than the bullies' entertainment. As she approached the door, all of Aja's past fears were suddenly coming back up. 

She changed speedily into her regular clothes, not bothered about the fact that she looked like a hot mess. Her main priority was avoiding Alexis and possible comments from her that might be thrown. She quickly made a decision to leave through the back door like she did when she walked with Sasha - she could escape much more easily. 

Farrah emerged from the same door several minutes later after receiving a text from Aja to do so. She appeared far less stressed than Aja did. 

"How was your day?" Farrah asked her as they automatically began to walk. 

"Quiet, I guess," Aja replied. "And awkward. Yours?"

"Normal," she said. "Alexis didn't speak to you?"

Aja sighed. "To be fair, I tried my best to avoid her the whole day."

"You could always sit with me?" Farrah offered. She looked up at Aja hopefully. "None of the Bombers would mind, I'm sure."

Aja's heart pulsated with warmth. "I'd love to," she said, "but it might not make anything better with my friends."

"That's alright," Farrah said. She took Aja's limp hand and squeezed it softly, causing an eruption of butterflies in her stomach and her breath to hitch in her throat. 

Aja held on to her, lacing their fingers together in a burst of confidence. Somehow, even more butterflies began to appear, and Farrah's smile grew. 

The two walked just like that in a comfortable silence for the rest of the journey to Farrah's house. Well, it seemed comfortable for Farrah, but Aja? She was screaming internally. She'd never felt so on-edge in her life, yet so... happy? She couldn't quite distinguish the emotion. The only thing she knew was that Farrah was causing this sudden panic, and the silence they were in only gave her the opportunity to dwell on the feeling more. 

There had only ever been one other time where Aja had felt this strange concoction of emotions, and that was with Dahlia. She remembered how when they were close, all she felt was the crushing sense of infatuation. She always ended up nervous around her, too, often saying or doing the wrong thing - and she remembered how well _that_ turned out. 

Aja was never one to do a Sherlock Holmes investigation on her feelings, and it certainly didn't take a genius to suss out the fact that she _may_ have had the smallest, teeniest, tiniest crush on Farrah. The revelation made her feel sick to her stomach, but it was something she had to admit to herself. Maybe if she was lucky, the "butterflies" in her stomach were just indigestion. 

"You okay?" Farrah asked her. "You're quiet."

Aja snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, yeah, just thinking," she responded. 

"About what?"

You!, she shouted inside. 

"Err, the tryouts," she lied. 

"Are you worried about them?" Farrah asked. 

"I guess. We don't have that much time left, and we still need to decide what music we're using."

Farrah squeezed her hand, pumping adrenaline throughout Aja's body. "We'll do amazing."

Aja smiled at her. They eventually came to Farrah's house, the sun just beginning to dip behind the clouds and cast a gold glow over the whole street. They both stopped just outside the door; Aja gazed over and admired how the sun's warmth complimented Farrah's hair and face. 

"Text me if you need me, yeah?" Farrah said sincerely, still holding her hand. 

"I will," Aja replied, still smiling. 

They quickly shared a hug and Aja was off home, her head spinning just as much as this morning. The more she told herself to stop overthinking it, the more it adhered itself to her mind. It all suddenly came crashing down on her like it'd fallen from the sky - she _did_ like Farrah. Maybe just a little bit. It was possible, right?

-

Just as she got home, Aja's phone began to ring. She dug it out of her bag, and for once it wasn't Farrah - it was... Alexis?

Her stomach knotted as she held her phone to her ear. "Hello?" she said. 

"Look, we need to sort this out," Alexis said very matter-of-factly, "and I want to explain myself to you if that's alright."

"Go ahead." She walked up the stairs to her room and sat at the edge of her bed. 

"I wasn't angry that you're friends with Farrah, if that's what you thought it was," she told her. 

Aja furrowed her eyebrows. "Right..." she said. "So, why did you get so mad at me?"

"I just wish you'd told us way before. You don't like dishonesty either, so why'd you lie to us?"

"Because I knew people would freak out," she said. "That's why I waited until we all became closer, so maybe people would be more accepting."

"Fair enough," Alexis sighed contentedly. "So, are we good?"

"I guess. Thanks for explaining."

"No problem. Thanks for listening." Alexis hung up. 

At least that was one weight off of Aja's precariously balanced worries. She fell back on her bed and let the mattress and her sweater swallow her whole; it still smelled of Farrah's perfume somehow, and the scent put a smile on her face, but also made her feel queasy.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After everything has eased, the cheerleaders decide to have a beach day at Santa Monica. Shea starts noticing some ~questionable~ behaviour from Aja.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brownie points if you can name what TV show Aja compares herself to ;)  
> Also just wondering if you guys would like to see more chapters that have some different characters' perspectives?

Over a week later, and Aja's not-so-tiny crush had yet to go away. Every time she even just spotted Farrah in the corner of her eye, she was filled to the brim with a strange, nervous joy, like a giddy foal. She had willed herself to the high heavens not to focus on her, but it'd quickly proved useless. 

Although she hated to dwell on her even more, Aja reminded herself of the lead character of a show that Farrah had forced her to watch (and she enjoyed it, much to her surprise) who was pining after her ex-boyfriend from a decade ago. Each conversation they had prompted a chorus of _I'm in love_ (even though she probably wasn't) from every corner of her brain - sometimes she wondered if it was even just her imagination anymore. 

So, there she was, stuck at a table with her friends during lunch trying her absolute best not to think about her friend. She made disobedient glances over at the Bombers' table every few minutes, but Farrah never noticed her. 

"Guys, I think we should do something with the Bombers," Shea confessed. "I mean, shouldn't we technically be friends with them now?"

Sasha raised her eyebrows at her. "Already?" she asked. "Wouldn't that be crossing boundaries a little too early?"

"Those boundaries have been crossed already," Aja joked. 

Sasha laughed. "Fair enough."

"So, you guys are down?" Shea asked. She looked around the lunch table at the rest of the Glamazons, waiting for their approval. They nodded tentatively, but it was a nod all the same.

"What should we actually do with them?" Alexis questioned. "Not just a party like last time."

"What about the beach?" Nina suggested. "It's getting close to summer, and there's _bound_ to be heaps of guys."

Aja internally rolled her eyes.

Charlie nodded along. "The beach sounds good," she said. "Santa Monica has the amusement park on the pier, too."

"But it's a bitch to drive to," Alexis countered. 

"Any beach in May is," Shea said. "It's our closest one; we should go."

Aja nodded. "We've never really hung out outside of school, apart from Charlie's party," she said, "and I'm sure the Bombers will be open to it."

"You have Farrah's number, right?" Sasha asked her, to which Aja nodded. "You can text her and ask the Bombers through her."

"Sure thing."

She picked up her phone and quickly typed out the details while she asked the others for times and dates. Hands trembling ever so slightly, she sent the text to Farrah and awaited her reply. 

-

After some gentle nagging and persuasion from Farrah, the Bombers had agreed to go to Santa Monica with the Glamazons. Charlie, who was surprisingly the most responsible when it came to driving, had packed Alexis, Nina, and Jaymes into her car, while Aja, Sasha, and Shea were driven by Sasha's dad in their spacious BMW. 

The weather that Saturday was particularly hot, and despite them all wearing loose clothing, the heat was already beginning to take a toll on the cheerleaders. The AC was blasting in all directions at them, but the attempt to keep them cool was weak. Their cars were beginning to feel like ovens. 

After over an hour's drive, they all eventually arrived in Santa Monica. The hot air hit them like a brick to the face, and collective groans erupted from everyone. Aja wondered if the beach had actually been a good idea. 

Sasha's dad agreed to meet them back at the car at some point in the evening, and went about his way in and around the city. The girls set up camp on a spot in the middle of the sand, fairly close to the pier, and waited (rather impatiently) for the Bombers to get there. A simple exclamation announced their arrival a few minutes later:

"I'm melting!" Farrah wailed, trudging through the sand and trailing behind her friends. 

"It's BlondeBenet Glamsey..." Shea muttered to Sasha, both of them laughing quietly between them. 

Aja clenched her teeth at the comment, but soon broke into a smile when Farrah set her beach towel down next to her and sat.

"Hey," she said, sighing exhaustedly. Her pink mirrored sunglasses hid her eyes, and Aja found herself looking away in intimidation. 

"Hi," she replied, fumbling with the hem of her own towel. "I'm glad you got everyone to come today."

"No problem," she said. "I just hope we don't cook in this heat." She flopped back on to her towel, propelling sand up into the air. "We could've set up a barbecue just with some tinfoil on the ground."

"We're going to launch ourselves into the sea," Sasha said, taking Shea's hand. "Anyone else coming?"

At that statement, everyone scrambled across the sand in the direction of the water, running wildly as if they were dying and on their way to the Fountain of Youth. Everything was abandoned; towels, food, drinks - just about anything they'd brought. In a matter of seconds, the majority of the girls were down at the edge of the sea, most of them still clothed, and some managing to tear their t-shirts and shorts off to reveal their swimsuits before they'd set off. Aja and Farrah stayed sitting on the beach, perplexed after witnessing their friends turn savage. 

"I guess we're stuck looking after everyone's stuff?" Farrah said. 

Aja sighed. "Do you wanna help me set up the parasols and towels?" she asked. 

"It's too hot to move," she groaned, but pushed herself up from the ground anyway. 

Aja rolled her eyes at Farrah's self-contradiction, although a smile managed to break through. She picked up the several parasols and windbreakers (which were serving the purpose of blocking the sun, too) from the ground and wedged them in the sand, a simple action that made her break a sweat. Farrah took the beach towels and laid them out lazily across the area where they were all sitting, noises of complaint spewing from her mouth after each one. They both settled down on their own towels under their shelter after they were done, feeling extremely grateful for the shade. 

Aja watched her friends have fun in the sea, splashing each other and running through the water, and Farrah lay down next to her. Despite the thick heat, they both managed to find some comfort surrounded by the blazing sand, and the sound of the waves crashing on to the shore in the near distance seemed to be the only noise. 

She briefly glanced over at Sasha and Shea together, but that glance quickly turned into admiration. They looked so joyful, so carefree... so happy with just each other's company. Aja felt a pang of hopelessness hit her; she looked at Farrah in the corner of her eye, laid on her towel with her sunglasses still covering her eyes, and wondered if she'd ever seen such a casual action look so flawless. Aja laid down as well, staring up at the parasol above them and extending her legs into the sunlight. 

"Valentina's been really off with me, lately," Farrah spontaneously piped up. 

"Hmm?" Aja said, turning her head to look at her. Farrah had lifted the sunglasses from her face and rested them on her forehead, rolling her head to the side to face her friend. 

"She just won't speak to me, and I think it's because I'm friends with you," she said. "I want to ask, but I know she won't answer."

"Are - or were - you guys close?" Aja asked. 

"We've been really good friends since I was in freshman year, but we started to drift a bit this semester. Now, she doesn't even look at me."

"I'm sorry," Aja said, directing her eyes away from Farrah. 

The blonde girl frowned at her. "Why are you sorry?" 

"I mean it in a comforting way."

"No one _died_." She laughed. "Maybe she's just... I don't know. It'll pass."

"I hope so," Aja said, and Farrah squeezed her hand. 

Aja turned her head back to face the underside of their shelter and closed her eyes, her hand resting lazily in Farrah's. She let the sounds of the ocean and the faint shouts lull her into serenity. 

Roughly half an hour later, Aja's daydreaming was interrupted by a drenched and shivering Sasha wondering over, Shea in a similar state behind her. Aja felt cold just looking at them. 

"We'll watch everything if you guys want to go in the sea," Sasha offered, already taking her seat. 

Aja propped herself up on her elbows and looked over at Farrah, who was already ripping off her shirt and stumbling up.

"Thanks, Sash," Aja said, smiling, and Sasha smiled back. She felt a little guilty that they weren't spending that much time together recently, but she did her best to let the feeling slide. 

She followed Farrah and removed her own clothes, too, and in a matter of seconds, the two were down at the edge of the waves. The water was freezing cold, which caused a sharp scream from Farrah. 

"It's so cold!" she shrieked and wrapped her arms around herself. 

"Come on, you've been complaining about the heat for the past hour," Aja said. She was already knee-deep. 

Farrah took tiny steps closer, letting out a cry every time a small wave washed over her. After a few minutes, she was finally as far out as Aja, which still wasn't that deep. Aja splashed her with a bit of water, and she screamed again. 

"Aja!" she exclaimed, pouting. She bent down and splattered some water at her in retaliation. Aja returned the favour, and soon they were deeper into the sea and in a full-on water fight. Aja couldn't help but have a beaming smile on her lips the whole time. 

-

"Look at them," Sasha said to Shea, both of them leaning on their elbows as they watched the day go by. 

"Who?" Shea asked. 

"Aja and Farrah," she said. She shielded her eyes from the sun to get a better look. "They look so happy together. It's kind of weird to see. It's like Romeo and Juliet."

"Hopefully without all the dying."

Sasha chuckled. "Hopefully."

"Today's been so nice; I'm glad we all got to hang out," Shea said. 

She nodded. "I can't believe we're all actually friends."

"And I can't believe I got this lucky." They turned to face each other with goofy smiles and Shea leaned in slowly, her lips gently brushing Sasha's. Sasha fully closed the gap between them, and it felt like sparks were flying all around them, just like every other time they kissed. 

Sasha pulled away. "Me neither."

Shea leaned on her shoulder, which only made Sasha's smile grow. They stayed silent in that position for several minutes before one of them spoke again, but the silence was perfectly comfortable. 

"Do you think Aja likes her?" Shea asked. 

"What, as more than a friend?" Sasha said. "No, no, no. Why?"

"She's always smiling when she's around her, and they're always hanging out," she said. "You've been friends with her for years - shouldn't you be able to tell? I mean, it seems pretty obvious. I just get that vibe from her."

"She only came out to me a few weeks before she did to everyone else," Sasha informed, "so, I don't know how she acts when she likes someone. She's probably not even out to Farrah."

"And Farrah's probably straight." Shea gasped. "Oh, shit, what if she _does_ like her, and Farrah _is_ straight?"

"She's fucked."

-

Evening came quicker than anticipated, and after a strenuous and lengthy day, everyone was almost relieved to go home. The last thing they'd done before they left was hop on the grand Ferris wheel on the pier, because, let's be real, you can't visit Santa Monica without going on the pier - at least that's what Alexis insisted. 

Around 8pm, Sasha's dad decided it was a good time to leave, and everyone else agreed it was a decent idea. The Bombers split from the Glamazons and made their way to their cars on opposite ends of the parking lot, each one of them exhausted and drained from the intense heat. 

Sasha caught up with Aja who was walking ahead, towels weighing her down. "I see you and Farrah had fun today," she commented. After some convincing from Shea, she'd decided to try and squeeze the truth out of Aja. Sasha was far from stupid, and she'd hopefully be able to tell if Aja liked Farrah, even just a little bit. 

"Uh, yeah," Aja stuttered, clutching one of the windbreakers tighter to her waist. "It was a really great day."

Sasha wracked her brain for something else to say; Aja wasn't exactly revealing much. 

"And you and Shea had fun, too?" Aja questioned. 

"Mhmm." She nodded. "Sorry we didn't get to hang out that much."

"Oh, no, it's okay," Aja insisted. "Whether we've hung out a lot lately or not, we're still best friends, right? No matter what?"

"Yeah, of course!" Sasha exclaimed. "Always." She wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a quick side-hug. 

She then pulled her phone out of her shorts and texted Shea. 

_**Sasha**  
I can't really tell. She just got briefly sentimental about friendship._

_**Shea**  
Oh well._

-

"Can I be real for a second?" Farrah asked, perched on Aja's bed. Her mom had gone out for the night with some friends and she couldn't stand to be in the house alone, so Aja had of course welcomed her over. 

"Sure," she said. "What is it?"

"Can we talk about that night?" She looked down at her lap. "You know, when I got... mugged."

Aja's eyebrows knotted together. "Are you sure?" she asked. 

"Yeah, yeah," Farrah said. "I just want to be honest with you."

"Go ahead," she said. She started to feel uneasy. 

"Well, I wanted to talk about why I was out in the first place. Normally it's not a big deal, but since we're newly friends, I figured I should be my true, authentic self." Farrah took a deep breath. 

"What do you mean?"

"That night, I'd just left Kimora's, and I was on my way to meet some friends... from the LGBT club at the YMCA." She made eye contact with Aja, her lips pursed and her expression droopy. "The club happens when the football games are on and I promised them that I'd meet them at the park."

Aja's eyes immediately widened. As proud as she was of Farrah for speaking about the mugging, she couldn't help but feel a ray of luck shining down on her. She stood a chance, granted, it was a small one, but it still gave her a flicker of hope. 

"Y-you're gay?" she asked. 

"Bi."

Aja gulped. "I'm, uh... I'm gay, too," she said. "Sorry to take your moment." She laughed awkwardly. How was it so easy to be honest around her? It took _years_ for Aja to come out to the most trusted people in her life, and within just a few months she felt like she could tell Farrah anything. One of the final weights was lifted off of her shoulders. 

Farrah leaned over and wrapped her arms around Aja, love and acceptance radiating all around them. Aja buried her face in the crook of Farrah's neck and sighed with relief. Her hair smelled of sea salt and the sun. 

"I'm so glad I could tell you," Farrah said, and Aja could tell she was smiling. 

"Me too."

They both pulled away with humongous grins on their faces. Now, instead of feeling exhausted, Aja had never felt more awake.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally the finale of the football season, and everyone is on edge. Farrah introduces Aja to a few friends of hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going on holiday for three weeks on Sunday, so updates will probably be irregular because I'll be in a different time zone + for one of the weeks I won't have wifi. But don't worry, when I'm home they'll be all back to normal!!

Aja couldn't stop smiling. It was stupidly late and Farrah had drifted off long ago, but she was still wide awake. After last week's unplanned sleepover, both of them had implicitly decided that sleeping in the same bed was actually an okay idea, and there was way more room. Plus, Farrah had admitted that sleeping on Aja's floor was like trying to get comfy on a bed of nails. 

Although they hadn't been friends long, and Aja had only liked her a short amount of time, she'd certainly fallen fast. 

Unable to sleep, Aja was stuck to mindlessly scrolling through social media until she was tired (as one does). She wasn't paying that much attention until she came to one photo on Instagram that Kandy had just posted: a photo of herself, Momo, Dahlia, and Aja. They all had smiles on their faces and were squeezed in together so they could all fit in the photo. The picture must've been over a year old. The caption read, "#TBT. My best friends!" 

Aja remembered posing for that photo, partially because they had so much fun that day, but mainly because it was the last time her and Dahlia were proper friends. Looking at it filled her with a sickly feeling, and her previous ecstasy was cut short. She clicked on Dahlia's tag on the photo and briefly looked through her account, but it was just the same old stuff. 

Farrah rolled over and rubbed her eyes, interrupting Aja's sudden drop in mood. Seeing her there wrenched her heart even more, as she realised the similarities between her feelings for Farrah and Dahlia. Both were (or at least used to be) her close friend, both occurred during high school. Okay, they were pretty vague and common similarities, but the worry she felt towards them was just the same. 

"You're still awake?" Farrah croaked. 

"No, I can look at Instagram with my eyes closed," Aja snapped, although that wasn't her intention. "Yes, I'm awake."

"It's late," Farrah said. "You should really sleep." Her voice was soothing, and Aja found herself becoming more drowsy with each word. 

"Alright," she said simply. 

She turned off her phone, the pitch black of her room greeting her instead of the harsh light. Farrah nuzzled her head into the crook of Aja's neck and sighed contentedly; Aja silently freaked out. She closed her eyes and rested her head on top of Farrah's. Several minutes passed, and just as Aja thought she was about to drift off, Farrah spoke again. 

"Can you stroke my hair?" she asked. 

Despite being pissed for being woken up, Aja wrapped her arm around her so she could reach her hair in a more comfortable fashion. Eventually, they both fell asleep in that position, Aja stroking Farrah's hair until she was too tired to do so. 

-

That Tuesday was the final game of the season. Everyone was on edge, bracing themselves for what was to come. The Glamazons and The Bombers were neck and neck at the moment, and this game could go in any direction.

The cheerleaders always became the most patriotic when it was the last game. Many of them painted their faces with their team colours, as well as writing its name on their arms and legs in hopes of catching the attention of one of the guys. This year, the Glamazons had opted for a giant, purple flag with a silver _RG_ sewn on gratuitously by Miss Visage and the textiles teacher, and they managed to place it at the top of the stadium where the wind would blow more fiercely and show it off. The Bombers had friends in the audience holding up makeshift posters and signs, most of them covered in demeaning terms meant for the other team. Miss RuPaul didn't seem to notice, but if she did, she didn't say anything for the sole reason of drama and competitiveness.

This week was also the last rehearsal before the West Hollywood Cheerleader Tryouts, and it was safe to say that all of them were absolutely shitting themselves about it. Their routine was pretty much complete now; they just needed to go over it a few more times and it'd be perfect. The worst part about it was not knowing what they were up against, and they had to create new routines even faster than usual. They'd only find out if they got in at the end of August, and if they didn't make it then tensions were bound to rise between the teams. 

The end of the game was fast approaching, but it was still unclear as to who would reign victorious. The cheerleaders had stopped doing their supportive routines and were now just standing there attentively, closely observing the footballers. The scores only had a couple of points between them. 

"We're in the lead!" Sasha whispered loudly to Aja at one point, indicating to the scoreboard. She noticed that there were only a few minutes left. 

A huge, goofy grin appeared on her face. "We better win," she replied. 

Sasha nodded. 

They all continued to watch the game unfold, and the Bombers' cheerleaders began to panic; Aja could hear the scared whisperings behind her. The Glamazons had the ball at the moment, and were inching towards another goal... before one player from the Bombers tackled them. The crowd blew up into cheers and praise now that the Bombers had taken control again, and within a few speedy seconds, they'd scored another goal. Aja's smile dropped. 

The few remaining minutes of the game were concentrated on with even more intensity. Mr. Mathews had his hands clasped together as her watch with them, his mouth close to the microphone to announce the winner at any minute. Those anticipated moments passed quickly, and the time was running out. 

"3..." Mr. Mathews shouted into the microphone, "2... 1..." He blew his whistle and the footballers froze. "And the winners are... RuPaul's Glamazons!" he announced before anyone could even look at the scoreboard. 

There was a second-long delayed reaction filled with shock and euphoria before everyone erupted into screams and claps, even the people in the audience who were rooting for the Bombers. By only one game win, RuPaul's Glamazons had taken the crown (or rather, trophy). Although disappointed about losing this year, the B-52 Bombers footballers still clapped. 

All the Glamazons' cheerleaders brought each other into a group hug, holding one another tight. Despite not even playing, they felt like they'd just won, too. Now, all that was left for them was the crowning of Cheerleader Of The Year at the end-of-year assembly, and they all had their fingers crossed that they would win (although, it could always be a Bomber). 

-

"Congratulations!" Farrah exclaimed when she found Aja waiting for her outside school. She hugged her tight. 

Aja beamed at her. " _Technically_ , we didn't win; it was the footballers," she said. 

"Well, you're _my_ winner." She smiled in return. "Hey, I was thinking... I'm seeing my friends from the LGBT club straight after I get home. Do you want to come? Obviously you don't _have_ to-"

"Sure," Aja cut her off. "I'd love to." Besides the fact that she'd get to know some probably pretty cool, new people, Aja figured that if Farrah did like her, even just a little bit, she could tell by the others' reactions to her coming. 

They set off to Farrah's house, adrenaline from the game still coursing through their veins. 

"So, who do you think it going to win Cheerleader Of The Year?" Farrah asked. 

Aja didn't really know. Over the course of the year, she'd seen so much development in everyone's performance - anyone stood a chance. 

She shrugged. "I'm not sure," she said. "Shea, Trinity, and Valentina stand out the most to me. What do you think?"

Farrah noticeably winced at the mention of Valentina. "I agree," she said. "And maybe even Sasha or Eureka."

Aja nodded. "They can turn it out."

As always, it only took a matter of minutes before they reached Farrah's house. She quickly went inside and grabbed a sweater for each of them as they were starting to shiver in their less-than-conservative outfits. 

"Where are we meeting them?" Aja asked, pulling Farrah's sweater over her head. 

"Oh, just the park," she said. "It's actually the one that James and Chuck do community service at. It'll be nice to see it clean." They both laughed. 

Soon, they were at the entrance of the park, and peering in, Aja could see a group of people huddled together by one of the benches. Butterflies began to swarm her stomach, but it wasn't the good kind. 

"You okay?" Farrah asked her before they entered. 

"Yeah, yeah, just a bit nervous, I think."

"Come on - you'll be alright." She held Aja's hand and pulled her forward. "Let's go."

After walking a few steps, a couple of the people by the bench turned around and greeted them, and they all followed suite. 

"Hey, guys," Farrah said, both of them walking over. "This is my friend, Aja."

Aja plastered a smile on her face, and they did the same in return. "Hi."

Farrah looked up at her and beamed. "So," she said, squeezing Aja's hand. "These are some of my friends from the club."

The group waved and said hi to her. Everyone was noticeably cold, and it occurred to all of them that a park in the evening was not the best gathering place, even if it was the end of May. 

"I'm Trixie," one girl introduced herself. "And this is my girlfriend, Katya." She motioned to the girl stood beside her. Katya was a combination of sexy Russian gymnast and blind fashion designer. Trixie had very... prominent makeup, to say the least, but it suited her well. They looked like complete opposites. 

"Nice to meet you," Katya said in a soft Russian accent, smiling. "We've heard lots about you."

Aja's eyes lit up. "Good things, I hope." She chuckled nervously. 

"I'm Alaska." A tall, thin girl came forward and spoke with a low, rough voice. Her platinum-blonde hair was packed on top of her head into a messy bun (although messy was an understatement) and she smiled widely. Aja smiled back at all three. 

One of three boys spoke up. "I'm Derrick," he introduced himself, "and these are my boyfriends, Mac and Nick."

Aja recognised Trixie, Katya, and Derrick as past students from Tuckahoe High School, and Farrah informed her that Alaska and Mac were there just before Aja and Farrah were freshmen. 

"You should totally join the LGBT club, Aja," Katya piped up. "And there's a load of other people if you get tired of us." She laughed. 

"I might..." she replied hesitantly. It would be a great opportunity, but the only problem was that she wasn't out to her mother yet. What would she tell her? She always saw straight through Aja's lies. 

"Please, please, _please_ ," Farrah insisted, gazing up at her with what looked like complete adoration.

"I'll think about it." Aja smiled. She'd try her best to resist Farrah's 'begging' face. 

-

That evening consisted of random small talk that Aja mostly couldn't follow, but soon she began to settle in. Everyone invited her into the conversation and were overall very welcoming. When she was with them, she felt an air of acceptance that she'd never felt around other people. Now, Farrah and Aja were on their way home; it'd just got to 9:30pm, and Aja had figured that her mom would want her home by now. 

"If it ever came down to it," Farrah spoke up, "you could date one of the people from the LGBT club. Alaska's recently _single_."

It took everything Aja had to not grab Farrah by the waist, bend down and lean in close, look deep into her eyes, and tell her how fucking oblivious she was. She didn't want to date Alaska - hell, she'd only known her an hour - or anyone else, for that matter. Aja wasn't exactly through her any hints, but the frustration still resided within her. She only wanted Farrah, and she wouldn't settle for anyone less until she knew the other girl's feelings. 

"Nah, I'm okay for now," she said through gritted teeth.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the tryouts, and worries have filled the air. Farrah goes through a problem of her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the slightly short update, it's been a busy week and I haven't found much time to write. Also next week the update will probably be on Saturday or Sunday because I won't have wifi for a week :(

Standing in front of a panel of judges, Aja had never felt more fear in her life. They'd just debuted their routine for them, full of kicks, splits, jumps, and practically flying through the air, and she could feel all the hard work had paid off. The judges jotted down some notes on a piece of paper, and though it was a quick action, Aja felt like she'd been standing in the same spot forever. 

As every cheerleading squad did, the combined teams needed an official name, and it'd been Kimora that'd come up with it: the Hollywood Showgirls. Unfortunately, they hadn't thought about matching outfits in time, so their quick resort was to turn their usual shirts inside-out to hide the letters of their school team printed on the front. The mistake would most probably lower the likelihood of them getting through, but there was nothing they could do now to change it. 

After the judges dismissed them, Aja let out a breath that she didn't notice she was holding, as did all the others. They were escorted back to the large room where they were before that was filled with all the other cheer squads that'd either finished their performances as well, or were anxiously waiting for their turn. 

"How do you think it went?" Cynthia asked the group. 

"I don't know..." Nina said. "Good, I hope."

"I'm sure we did great," Shea said, trying her best to be optimistic. In reality, she didn't have a clue about how she thought they performed. 

"How many more groups need to perform?" Trinity asked. 

Shea glanced around the room. "Maybe three?" she guessed. "Then we can finally leave." Everyone else looked so poised and professional: seamless and fashionable outfits, sitting attentively, and, overall, not looking like a hot mess like the Hollywood Showgirls did. They were nervous and shaking with noticeable sweat stains, and looked like complete amateurs at a first glance. It wasn't pretty, but post-cheer appearances never were. 

"This is so goddam nerve-wracking," Aja said, clenching and unclenching her fists rhythmically. The others quietly nodded. 

The remaining teams took their turn performing over the next half an hour, with only one thing the same - the sheer look of a terrified, little animal. At last, the judges walked into the room and each cheerleader fell silent (which was a rare occurrence) and paid close attention. 

"We'd like to thank you all for auditioning today," the woman in the middle told them. "All of your routines were very good and we enjoyed them all. As you probably know, we'll let you know in August who got through. We can only accept eight teams."

Aja bit down on her bottom lip. It'd absolutely kill her if they didn't get in. 

"And with that," another judge continued, "we wish you all luck. And you're free to go."

Talking resumed in the room again as people grabbed their bags and hauled themselves out of there. Aja followed the others out of the room, worry and impatience tugging on her chest. 

-

Despite being exhausted, Farrah just couldn't seem to fall asleep. Normally, she'd drop off as soon as her head hit the pillow, but tonight, loud and incessant thoughts clouded her head. There were two things on her mind, the first being the tryouts. She knew she'd tried hard today - _all_ of them had. But she couldn't shake the feeling that they didn't stand a chance of getting through. From the moment she saw all the other groups, she was comparing each of them to her own, and she still was now as she tried desperately to fall asleep. 

The second thing was Aja. Recently, she'd noticed some changes in her. She was suddenly more affectionate with her, which, don't get her wrong, she absolutely loved; she'd always adored hugging and being close, and with Aja it was somehow even better. She mainly noticed her change of attitude, too. When they first became friends she was so wary of the other cheerleaders catching them even just looking at each other, but now, Aja seemed like she felt more... free, almost. There wasn't any other word to describe it. 

Those same thoughts circled her mind endlessly that evening. Come to think of it, Farrah _did_ notice that she herself had also changed. It was only minor, but she realised that she always wanted more time with Aja. Their walks home were always far too short, and a couple of times she'd almost plucked up the courage to ask her to stay a little longer. She didn't mind holding hands with her (in all honestly, she could do it all the time), and she could confidently ask for her to stroke her hair. Maybe she... no, she didn't. She didn't like Aja like that. 

_But what if I do?_ , Farrah asked herself. She'd just have to work it out, and she thought she knew how. 

-

The following couple of weeks were filled with fleeting glances between the two; each time Farrah thought she saw Aja eyeing her, she quickly tried to snatch a look back, sometimes realising that she was mistaken. With that, Farrah found herself wanting to look at Aja more. The never-ending, not-really-staring contests looked like heavy sexual tension, according to Kimora. 

When they walked home together, Farrah would slip her hand into Aja's with her excuse being that it was dark or her hands were cold, but it was clear that Aja saw through her lies, since summer was clearly on its way. Or if she didn't, she seemed happy to go along with it anyway, and handholding soon became the norm for them. Each time they did it, Farrah felt a small rush go through her, but it was a rush all the same. She didn't like the idea of having a teensy-tiny crush on one of her closest friends, but right now it was looking inevitable. I mean, who could resist someone as gorgeous as Aja?

She'd only ever felt that rush with exes and people she'd liked in the past. It was her favourite feeling, but with that happiness came bitter whispers of bad memories. Messy breakups, bad communication... She wasn't going to let herself sink into that hole of worry right now. 

Eventually, Farrah came to the conclusion that she most probably did like Aja, while walking home with her, however, she still wasn't totally sure. She'd just laced their fingers together and she leant on her shoulder as they walked slowly. They had a slight height difference, and Farrah always felt warm inside when Aja rested her head atop hers. That was the main thing that helped answer her gnawing question; she could stay in that position with Aja all day. 

As quickly as normal, they arrived at Farrah's house, and so they broke away. Just as Aja was about to leave, Farrah spoke up. 

"Do you want to stay for a bit?" she asked, twiddling her thumbs. "You know, just to hang out."

Aja turned on her heel and smiled. "Of course," she said. Aja was over the moon, but she wouldn't let it show. 

Farrah smiled back and stepped to the side of her front door to let Aja through. She had a tiny plan in her head, and a very last-minute one at that, but hopefully tonight she could answer her own queries and questions on her lips.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aja and Farrah confront their feelings face-on - literally. Meanwhile, Valentina isn't the person she seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: sorry for the late update to AO3! The past few days have been jam-packed

"Aja!" Farrah's mom exclaimed upon recognising her voice, emerging from the landing at the top of the stairs. "It's good to see you. Do you want anything to eat?"

Aja always felt at ease around Farrah's mom - it was one of the best things about being at their house, bedsides getting to hang out with Farrah, of course. 

"No, thanks," Aja replied with a smile, taking her shoes off and discarding them in the hallway. Once she was done, Farrah hooked her pinky finger around Aja's, sending a surge of butterflies through her stomach. For some reason, tonight, she was feeling particularly nervous about being with Farrah. Not the negative kind of nervous, like she was expecting something bad to happen, but more like the giddy type. It wasn't often that Farrah invited Aja in after their walks home. 

"I have some doughnuts in the kitchen if you girls want them," she offered. "I got them from work."

"Hell yeah, we'll take them," Farrah said. "Thanks, mom." She padded into the kitchen and retrieved the box from the counter. 

Once she'd got them, the two girls began to walk upstairs to Farrah's room, bypassing her mother with a smile. They sat down opposite each other on Farrah's bed in a slightly awkward silence, the sugar-coated treats sitting in a box to the side of them. 

"How was your day?" Farrah asked in an attempt to fill the quiet void. She opened the box and took a doughnut out, proceeding to push the container towards Aja. 

"Tiring, as usual." She took one of the doughnuts and bit into it. "But I had Textiles, so that was good. What about yours?"

Farrah shifted slightly closer so that their knees were now touching, and a cool, red tone washed over her cheeks. "Mine was _good_ until Textiles," she teased. "I hate it."

"Because you can't sew?" Aja laughed and raised one eyebrow, trying her best not to blush herself. 

She put on a sulking face. "Yeah," she huffed. Aja found herself staring at her pouty lips that were dusted with sugar. 

"I don't know why you took the class, to be honest," she said, taking another bite. 

"Me neither!" Farrah exclaimed. "I can't do anything well in there." Her pout turned into a frown. 

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it." Aja tentatively took Farrah's empty hand and squeezed it. "Textiles doesn't even matter that much after high school."

"So, why did you take it?" Farrah asked. The squeeze of her hand had put a weak smile on her lips momentarily, and now she was looking up at Aja with her puppy-dog eyes. 

"I love it; it makes me happy," she replied. "And I presume that's why you took Hair & Beauty?"

Farrah's smile grew. "I love that you just... know me. Like, _know me_ , know me. That might be a bit of a random and dramatic reply, but... yeah." She laughed nervously. 

"A _bit_?" Aja chuckled. "That's an understatement."

"Hey, I was trying to be nice." She scowled and shoved Aja away, causing her to fall onto her back and drop her doughnut on the bed. 

"Oh, yeah, _real_ nice." She pushed herself back up with the help of Farrah pulling on her arms after ditching her doughnut in the box. When she was sat comfortably again, Farrah still kept her hands rested on her, and suddenly Aja didn't want to move and grab her doughnut. 

They continued their banter, and with each passing moment, Farrah's hands had slowly inched closer to Aja's waist until they lay there comfortably. Aja kept her breath steady and tried her best to dismiss the sparks she felt, but ultimately gave in when the attempt proved futile. 

Farrah glanced down at where her hands were and her confident eyes turned timid, but she shuffled closer (if that was even possible) so that she was almost sitting on Aja's lap. She looked into Aja's eyes again and bit her lip. 

"Do you ever just want to... take a risk?" Farrah asked her in a hushed tone. 

All the moisture left Aja's mouth. "Y-yeah," she stuttered. "Sometimes."

Farrah's eyes flashed to Aja's lips for a split second, but she tore them away. 

"Can I take a risk right now and try something?" she said. 

"Depends what it is."

"Just trust me on this, okay?" She raised both eyebrows slightly. 

Aja nodded in response. "Okay."

Farrah lifted her hand from Aja's waist and slowly moved it to her cheek, tucking a stray piece of purple hair behind her ear. She glanced at Aja's lips once more before closing her eyes and gradually leaned in closer, straining those few extra inches upwards. Aja closed her eyes and more than willingly leaned in as well, obviously knowing what was happening. She almost jumped out of her skin when their lips met, but soon relaxed into the kiss. 

Farrah moved her other hand to Aja's face too and deepened the kiss, shifting onto her lap. Aja was so awestruck that she didn't know what to do with the rest of her body, so she tentatively placed her hands on Farrah's waist and pulled her flush against her. The only thing she was sure of right now was the euphoria coursing through her with each passing second. 

More quickly than she wanted, Farrah pulled back, keeping her hands on Aja's fire-red cheeks. Her eyes were widened as she studied Aja's face, and she looked like a deer caught in headlights. 

"Oh god, was this a mistake?" she panicked, snatching one hand away and touching her lips with her index finger as if she wasn't sure it was real. The other fell and slumped onto Aja's shoulder. 

If she tried to speak, Aja wasn't sure if words were going to come out. "It certainly wasn't a mistake," she croaked, half laughing. "But... do we regret it? That's the real question here."

"Do _you_?" Farrah bit down on her finger. 

She looked down for a second, tracing nervous circles with her thumb on Farrah's back, and then looked into her eyes. 

"No."

Farrah sighed contentedly. "Then... then can I kiss you again?"

"You don't need to ask," Aja said, a smile making its way to her lips that Farrah then proceeded to kiss once more. This one was far longer and the butterflies in Aja's stomach settled down, leaving her with a warm feeling in her heart. 

-

Aja woke up the next morning alone in her bed, and although her alarm was screaming at her to get up, she wasn't in a bad mood. In fact, she felt the complete opposite. The memories of her and Farrah last night were still fresh in her mind. Unfortunately, her mother wanted her home before it was dark, so she had to leave the comfort of Farrah's arms not long after. But still, she didn't let that dull her mood. 

Aja had always been someone who was straight up and honest, rarely faltering in front of others, but since she'd got closer with Farrah, all that had changed. Now, she felt far more vulnerable; she'd never expected the blonde to make the first move. Farrah had the upper hand, had all the control over Aja, at least, that's how it was from Aja's perspective. One of them had to make another move sooner or later. 

Reluctantly, Aja pulled herself out of bed and got dressed, hitting the top of her alarm clock. She picked up her phone to see if maybe there was a text from Farrah, but there was nothing yet. It disappointed her a little, but a text (or rather, no text) wasn't the end of the world. 

After putting on some clean clothes, she went downstairs to grab breakfast, and was met with her mom. 

"Good morning," she greeted, turning on the coffee machine. "Did you have a good time with Farrah last night?"

Aja bit her tongue so she wouldn't smile. "Yeah, we didn't do much, though," she lied. 

"Well, you know, it was getting dark," she said. "I wanted you home safe. When school finishes in a month you can see your friends all you want."

Aja beamed inside. "Yeah, yeah," she said. 

"Toast?" her mom asked as the toaster pinged and popped up. Aja nodded and she put some on a plate for her. 

Once she was done eating, she set off to meet Sasha, and as usual, her mind wandered to the girl that she'd kissed last night. 

-

A few minutes after Aja arrived at school, Farrah walked in with Kimora. Aja's breath hitched in her throat. God, she looked so pretty, even just mindlessly chatting. Her thick, blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail which allowed the whole pan of highlighter packed onto her cheekbone to reflect in the overhead lights; the silver-pink hue fiercely complemented her eyes and hair. 

It felt like an eternity just watching them, and Aja wasn't sure if she'd rather avoid the whole situation for a bit, or just grab Farrah and kiss her again. Sasha and Alexis had no clue about anything that'd happened between them, and-

_Oh, god, she was walking over._

"Hey, there," Farrah said with a smug smile. 

"I-uh - hi," Aja stammered. 

Sasha and Alexis greeted her as well. 

"Can I borrow Aja for a second?" she asked them. She slinked her hand around Aja's waist, and Aja felt like the skin that she touched was on fire. 

"Sure," Sasha said, absently looking down at where Farrah's hand was disappearing to. 

Farrah's didn't seemed to notice and tugged on Aja's shirt as if to say follow me, and she led her to the girls' bathroom near one side of the main doors. Hardly anyone ever went in there because, well, you know what school bathrooms are like - toilet roll everywhere, a mysteriously wet floor, and a smell that's like a mix of piss and disinfectant. 

They entered the disgusting and, luckily, empty room, and Farrah shut the door behind them. 

"Last night," she said. Aja was expecting her to follow with some other statement to make those two words less ambiguous, but apparently, she was wrong. 

"You don't regret it, do you?" Aja panicked. "I mean, I don't, that's not what I'm saying, but, like, what do you think-?" She fumbled with the hem of her shirt and backed up a step. _Come on, Aja, you're better than this, she told herself._

"No, no!" Farrah exclaimed and cut her off, stepping forward. "Not at all. But I think we should talk about it."

Aja nodded slowly. "I don't really know what to say," she said. "I'd... I'd like it to happen again. Or something similar, I guess."

Farrah let out a relieved breath. "Then, I was wondering... Can I ask you something?"

"Sure - anything." 

"If it's alright with you..." She looked down at her feet for a brief second. "Can I take you to Santa Monica Pier? Not as, like, a date, but... yeah, as a date, actually."

Aja tried to disguise an intense and overjoyed smile so much that it began to hurt her cheeks. "Of course," she unintentionally gushed. "This weekend?"

Farrah shrugged. "If you're free."

"Sure!" she exclaimed. She was just about to step forward again when the bathroom door opened and interrupted the eerie quietness that was present before. 

Farrah reached out and grabbed Aja's wrist, pulling her into a stall and motioning for her to climb on top of the toilet seat. 

"You know I hate that _puta_ ," one girl said, and Aja recognised the voice as Valentina. 

"I don't know what she did to you to make you hate her so much," the other girl said. This was Trinity. "Yeah, she's one of our rivals, but still." It appeared that the two weren't here for the toilets, so Aja assumed that they were touching up makeup or something, but she wasn't going to risk being seen and check over the stall door. 

"Isn't it obvious?" Valentina condescended. "I bet she's up to something. No Glamazon has ever tried to be friends with a Bomber, or the other way around. She's scheming - I can feel it - and the rest of the team are just letting it happen!"

"Val, I think you're looking too far into this," Trinity said. "Besides: she's not a threat."

Valentina laughed. "You got _that_ right." There was the whirr of a zipper, presumably from a makeup bag, and then the shuffling of two pairs of feet. A few seconds later, the bathroom door shut, and silence resumed. 

Farrah turned around with her eyebrows furrowed. "What the hell?" she questioned. 

"Were they talking about me?" Aja asked, but she was really talking to herself to try and work it out. It must've been her. As she quickly began to connect the dots, Valentina's recent behaviour all made sense.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Farrah takes Aja on a date to Santa Monica. Chaos ensues.

As if Aja didn't need to be nervous enough already, the date had already got off to a bad start, and it hadn't even begun. It wasn't anything to do with Farrah, no - Aja hadn't even seen her yet. But a series of inconvenient events had already quickly unfolded. 

First of all, Aja had woken up late that morning by sleeping through her alarm, and when she realised that she didn't have any clothes that looked presentable for a date, she quickly threw on whatever she could find from the floor and left the house in a rush. That resulted in forgetting her purse, and a lecture from her mother in the car about being organised. Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, they were stuck in traffic. 

Once she'd arrived at Santa Monica, Farrah wasn't even there yet because of traffic problems as well, and so she decided to take a stroll on the beach until she got there - bad idea. Aja was attacked by a couple of aggressive seagulls that must've been vultures in disguise or something, trying to find any traces of food on her. A few scratches on the arm and some shouts of abuse later, they flew off and left her with some battle scars. Oh, and to top it off, her hair (which she'd made an effort with for today) now closely resembled that of someone who'd been dragged through a bush backwards. 

Aja did her best to flatten the purple frizz as she sat down at a table by some of the food stalls. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and found a text from Farrah. 

_**Farrah**  
Just arrived. I'll meet you at the cotton candy cart?_

Aja was close to that place, so she texted back that that was okay and she'd see her in a minute. The butterflies had just begun to swarm in her stomach now as she waited for her. Aja had never been on a date before; she had no idea how it'd start, if there was anything she had to do in particular, or what even happened at the end of them. Hopefully, Farrah knew what she was doing. 

A couple minutes later, Farrah met her at the bench table, and much to Aja's happiness, and also dismay, it was clear she'd made an effort on her appearance. Her freshly-curled hair flowed down her back and she'd gone all out with the highlighter, as well as the rest of her makeup. The blue dress she was wearing didn't look that fitting for a beach, but it was beautiful on her all the same. Aja felt slightly self-conscious in the basic leggings and t-shirt she was wearing. 

A simple, "Hey," was all she could muster up as she stood from her seat to pull Farrah into a hug. 

"Hey," she replied and kissed her jaw. 

Aja pulled back. "Wow," she said. "You look... amazing."

A soft blush came over Farrah's cheeks. "Thanks - so do you." She glanced over at the cotton candy cart to the right of Aja. "Should we get some?" she asked, pointing in its direction. 

"... I may or may not have forgotten my purse at home," Aja said, and she became frustrated with that morning's events once again. 

"It's no problem; I'll buy you some," Farrah offered, already pulling her over to the cart. "It's my treat."

Aja smiled at her. "Thank you," she said. 

Farrah smiled back, proceeding to look at the bags of cotton candy hanging along the side of the cart. She quickly decided on a colour for them each and handed the cashier some money. They sat down again at the bench table where Aja was before and dug into their cotton candy, which melted in their mouths almost as soon as it was in there. 

"Hey, what are those?" Farrah pointed at the talon marks on Aja's arm, her face showing concern. 

"Oh, seagulls," Aja said. "They were looking for food."

Farrah raised her eyebrows. "Jesus," she said. She began to caress the scratches on Aja's arm in an effort to soothe them, but Aja wasn't going to tell her that the pain was already long gone. 

They talked for a while about their day so far, and Aja annoyedly vented about her terrible morning. Farrah complained about her traffic troubles as well, and they found themselves angrily ranting about rush hours and pollution, which seemed to distract Aja from her previous bad mood (although Farrah could always brighten her day no matter what she did). Soon, they'd finished their cotton candy and Farrah decided they should walk along together to the seafront, and with luck, avoiding any more savage birds. 

Aja slid her hand into Farrah's as they walked through the sand, and the simple gesture brought a smile to both of their faces. They trudged through the thick sand aimlessly and in a comfortable silence until they reached the sea, and Farrah pulled Aja towards it. 

"No way; I'll be soaked the rest of the day," Aja countered, stopping abruptly at the edge of the waves. 

"Come on!" Farrah said. "It'll be fun."

"I thought we were just going to the pier today, otherwise I could've brought a bikini or something," she huffed, folding her arms. Her tone reminded her of how Farrah spoke when she was frustrated. 

"Just take your shoes and leggings off," Farrah said, letting go of her hand and bending down to undo her laces. 

"Fine," Aja gave in. "But don't look."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna see in a second, anyway." Despite that, she finished taking off her shoes and discarded them a few feet away on the dry sand and proceeded to turn around. 

Aja tore off her leggings and sneakers and stuffed the article of clothing into her shoes so they wouldn't get sandy, and placed them next to Farrah's. 

"Done." She got up and tried to ignore Farrah's lustful staring as she took baby steps towards the water. Even though the sky was cloudless and the sun was glowing steadily, the water was rough and biting. 

"I'm freezing!" Farrah squealed, although the waves had barely passed her ankles. "This wasn't the best idea."

"It was your idea." Aja chuckled. "Come on, let's just make the most of it." She put a timid hand on the small of Farrah's back and urged her forward. 

They didn't go in much further due to Farrah's incessant complaints, so they stopped where the water just rested below Aja's knees. By then, they'd got used to the cold, and decided to stay in that area. Both of them stared out over the ocean, not focusing on anything in particular, but just thinking. 

Aja couldn't remember the quote exactly, but she'd heard once that whoever you think about when you're staring at the sea, is the person that you're in love with. Maybe it was because she was standing right next to her, holding her hand, but the only person on Aja's mind was Farrah. She certainly wasn't in love with her (her crush had only been going on for, what, a month at the most?), but she definitely liked her a lot. 

They walked a little further so that the waves just skimmed the hem of Farrah's dress that rested above her knee. 

"What are you thinking about?" Farrah asked, both of them turning to face each other. 

"You," Aja said bluntly, but a smile crept onto her lips. 

"Yeah?" Farrah's face emulated her own. "Why's that?"

She stepped forward and sleeked her hands around Farrah's waist, pulling her close so that there was no longer a gap between them. Her sudden flash of confidence shocked her. 

"I really want to kiss you right now."

Farrah smirked, moving her hand to Aja's cheek. "So, why don't you?" She pulled her down slightly so she could reach, and just as both of them closed their eyes, Aja felt a heavy coldness wash over her. 

A giant, freezing wave. 

Before their lips had even met, Farrah pulled away and let out a whine, looking down at her soaked dress. Both of them were drenched from the midsection downwards, quickly beginning to shiver despite the heat surrounding them. Aja spotted the enormous wave in the corner of her eye heading directly towards their shoes. The crash of the water against the sand brought it to their full attention. 

"Oh, no!" Farrah cried out, trudging through the sea back to the shore, Aja following. She picked up her shoes and stared inside them at what the ocean had kindly slammed in there, her eyes looking forlorn. 

"My leggings are fucking drowned!" Aja exclaimed, picking up the item from inside one of her shoes. Everything was covered in sand and tiny pebbles, along with the odd bit of seaweed. She only had two options: spend the rest of the day in wet clothes, or walk around half-naked until they dried. Neither one sounded that desirable. 

"Let's get out of the wet sand," she said, annoyance bubbling up as she pushed herself off the ground. Her day had just got worse if that was even possible, considering its early events. 

They ended up sitting at one of the bench tables again, this one situated at the beginning of the beach where the sand started. Aja laid out her leggings on top of the table along with her and Farrah's shoes, and slumped down onto the seat. 

Farrah wrung out the ends of her dress onto the sand below, accompanied by another whine. 

"Considering how much has gone wrong for us today," she began, "I don't think it was an amazing idea to go to the beach."

"No, let's not let those things ruin the day," Aja countered, despite her current mindset. If they were just curled up on the couch at one of their houses, hardly anything bad could've happened. "We could do something else fun and disaster-free?"

"What about going on the pier?" Farrah suggested. "That's where I originally wanted to take you."

"Sure thing." She smiled. They got up from their seats; Aja stared down her leggings and shoes, debating whether or not to take them. She wasn't going to risk them getting stolen and having to extend the list of things that'd annoyed her that day, so she scooped the two into her arms and they set off towards the pier. 

Even though she'd been countless times, the fun of the pier never ceased to amaze Aja. The collection of amusements was only small but packed tightly together, and noise surrounded them. The rollercoaster took up the left side of the pier, along with other attractions dotted around and in between the tracks. The giant Ferris wheel was amongst them, standing tall so it could be seen from anywhere on the pier. The right side was taken over by all the food and retail outlets that mainly sold junk food and stuff for the beach, but as expected, most people were only interested in the rides. 

Since Aja didn't have her purse, they decided to stick to the basic, low-budget amusements like the ring toss, whack-a-mole, etc., with both of them acting surprisingly competitive. Farrah, upon winning a game, would stick her tongue out at Aja and claim she was "the champion of everything", with a massive smile on her face that Aja couldn't help but reflect whenever she saw it. Aja would simply cheer and tease Farrah when she lost, which brought a scowl to her lips. 

An hour or so was spent on those games that resulted in more losses than wins, but it was enjoyable. Aja ultimately decided that the rollercoaster was a bad idea today, since, "considering our luck, it'll probably kill us," and Farrah whole-heartedly agreed. They wandered around for a bit, taking a few minutes to stop at the edge of the pier and just look out over the ocean. The appearance of it was peaceful, but that feeling was ruined by the constant screaming of children on the rides behind them. The daylight had just begun to dim at that point. 

"Can we do the Ferris wheel?" Farrah asked. 

"Didn't you freak out last time we were here?" Aja questioned. "At least, that's what I thought you were crying about."

"I'll be fine," she said, brushing it off. "Let's do it." 

"You're just gonna freak yourself out. It won't be fun," Aja insisted. The wheel wasn't that exciting unless the lights display was on when it was nighttime, so she didn't get what the big deal was about it during the day. Aja figured Farrah wanted to prove something after her cry-fest when all the cheerleaders were down at Santa Monica last time, but she didn't really want to let her - even though she could get on everyone's nerves when she moaned, Aja couldn't ever stand to see her upset. 

"Come on, it's not that bad. Let's go," Farrah said. She began to walk off, obviously expecting Aja to follow, which she did. She knew that Farrah would regret it. 

The queue for the Ferris wheel was long, but with its carriages being able to hold quite a few people, they weren't standing for long. Aja and Farrah were piled in with a few other people, and decided to take the best view, which was the one facing out over the sea. The door of their carriage slammed closed with a squeak, and it was moved upwards so as to let other people on. As expected, Farrah began to freak, and suddenly held on to Aja's hand. 

"I'm scared," she whispered tautly. 

Aja rolled her eyes. "I knew you would be," she said. 

Farrah grasped her hand tighter when they moved upwards again. "This was a bad idea..."

"Yes, yes it was." Despite her annoyance, she couldn't help but take sympathy on her. With some initial protest, she unhooked her hand from Farrah's clammy one and wrapped it around her shoulder instead, holding her close; Aja could feel her shaking slightly. 

The person operating the wheel pressed a button which first made a panicked, buzzing noise, and then the Ferris wheel started to move. Farrah froze. 

"Hey, you alright?" Aja asked. 

"Yep. Yep. Great," she lied. "I don't like this."

Aja sighed. "Just... focus on something. Like the sea. Don't focus on the ride."

Farrah wrapped one arm around Aja's waist and took a deep breath, and slowly began to relax, until some asshole kid behind them started to rock the carriage. Aja looked behind her and glared at him, deciding that cursing him out wouldn't end well with who she presumed were his parents. 

They stayed like that for the rest of the ride, and after several torturous minutes, the ride came to a stop, and soon they were off. 

"See? I wasn't as bad as last time," Farrah exclaimed. 

Aja laughed and rolled her eyes. "Sure, whatever you say," she said. 

-

Roughly an hour later, the sun was just beginning to set, and the two girls were walking along the sand again with ice creams that Farrah had bought them. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore was peaceful background noise as they talked, taking a break every minute or so to lick the melting trails of their ice cream. 

"I'm glad we came out here today," Aja said, squeezing Farrah's hand. 

Farrah nodded and smiled. "Me too," she said. "And I'm glad I asked you on a date; it's been an amazing day, even though we did get soaked." Their clothes were mostly dry now, so they figured it'd be easier to put them on rather than carrying them everywhere and looking miserable. 

"Y'know, I never got that-" A seagull swooped in and interrupted her, squawking and snatching her ice cream out of her hand. Aja screamed and jumped back, a couple of seconds passing before her rage at the bird sunk in. "Fuck you, you little bitch!" she shouted up at it, but it was already long gone. 

Farrah tried to stifle a laugh at her verbal abuse towards the seagull, but quickly gave in. "That's your second attack today," she giggled. 

Aja huffed, staring at the tiny end of her cone in her hand. 

"Here - you can share mine," Farrah offered, extending her hand forward. The ice cream was pretty much finished but there was still some in there. 

"Thanks," she said, a half-heartedly smile on her face, and she took a bite. She felt a little childish. 

They continued walking, awkwardly sharing Farrah's ice cream between them and occasionally bumping heads when they both went in at the same time. Although losing some food wasn't the end of the world, Aja had a newfound hatred for seagulls. 

Another half hour was spent walking on the beach, the ice cream long gone and the sound of other people had died down. The beach was humongous, but now that most people had cleared off of it, it seemed even more spacious. 

"Okay, I want to be real for a second," Farrah piped up, wiping the small amount of ice cream off her lips. 

Aja nodded. "Go ahead," she said with a smile. 

"I really like you, Aja," she said sincerely, her eyes bright and face beaming.

"I really like you, too," Aja said, now mirroring her expression. They stopped walking and Farrah turned to face her. 

"And I've really enjoyed spending the day with you. So, I was wondering if you want to go- no... If you want to be with me." She bit her bottom lip. 

"Like, your girlfriend?" Aja questioned. The word sounded right on her tongue. 

"Yeah, my girlfriend." She grinned, and Aja could see through her teeth that she was biting her tongue, possibly from nervousness. 

"Yes," Aja said. "I'd like that a lot."

Farrah pulled her into a kiss, hooking her hand around the back of her neck to pull her closer. Her fingers dug into Aja's hair, which somehow managed to root Aja to the spot, stock still, and once again, Farrah had all the control over her. Right now, though, Aja didn't mind that at all (in all honesty, she liked it). She was right where she wanted to be, with the person she wanted to be with.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentina can't find anyone to join her party of hatred, and Farrah realises how much she dislikes her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm so sorry that this is such a shitty filler chapter, school just started this week and it's my last year of high school so it's a bit overwhelming. I decided to add a few different character perspectives this chapter just to change things up a bit, let me know if you like it?

If you looked up 'ecstatic' in the dictionary, a picture of Aja's face at the end of that day would be there. She couldn't quite believe it'd happened - maybe she'd wake up and it'd all be a dream, but no. It was very much real; she could still smell Farrah's perfume as they hugged and said goodbye, and she could still taste the mass-produced vanilla ice cream from the pier. And here she was, walking up the stairs of her house in her sandy clothes, a gigantic smile on her face. 

Her mom had asked her in the car about her day and what they'd done at the beach, and Aja resisted the urge to blurt it all out. There was no telling how her mother would react, so at that moment it was better to be safe than sorry. She told her about going in the sea and getting attacked by seagulls twice, as well as all the fun they'd had at the amusements. So, not exactly a lie, but not the full truth either. 

Aja got into bed that night, still with a smile on her face and a warm, fuzzy feeling in her heart. Her happiness made her feel way more energised than she should have felt, and she had a feeling that she had enough contentment to keep her up all night. 

However, eventually she did fall asleep (probably still smiling), and even the warmth of her bed couldn't emulate that of the feeling she had inside. 

-

"You agree with me, right?" Valentina asked Eureka, raising one perfect brow at her, her arms folded over her chest. The two cheerleaders (as well as Trinity) were standing by Valentina's locker before class started. Valentina had been venting to the others about her problem with Aja that she just couldn't seem to get past, but sadly, neither one of them could grasp the idea. Aja had been nothing but nice to them, and that just made Val angrier. 

"I see where you're coming from..." Eureka replied, which was a sentence that weakly disguised "You've gone absolutely batshit".

"It's really not that deep," Trinity deadpanned. "Look, I get that it's a bit threatening to have our ex-enemy swoop in and steal your best friend, but she seems... nice."

Valentina scoffed - the enemy status was still very much current. "Farrah isn't my best friend anymore," she said, "and it's all because of her."

Eureka rolled her eyes. "You're a freshman, not some revenge-seeking villain," she said. "You're my friend, Val, but Aja's not that bad."

"Remember when Eureka and I hated each other?" Trinity asked, and Valentina nodded. "We put that behind us because of cheerleading. Now that we have to be friends, you should just forget about whatever hatred you have for Aja. Find something that you two have in common and just try to bond with her or something."

That sounded like the worst idea in the world. 

-

Farrah sat down at the Bombers' table at lunch, the rest of her friends already there (apart from Valentina, but she didn't really count as a friend anymore). Instead of cracking jokes, Eureka was oddly quiet as she ate, as was Trinity, who always liked to make conversation during lunchtime. 

Her and Aja had been stealing glances from each other all day, and in all honesty, Farrah had no idea how to act now that they were together. She was overjoyed, of course she was, but she felt as if every interaction would out them to their friends, and right now, that wasn't something they wanted. Valentina had already stopped talking to her since her friendship with Aja began, who knew if that was going to escalate?

"Are you guys alright?" Farrah asked Trinity and Eureka, the silence on the table still not broken. 

Both looked up from their food and brushed off their startled appearance. 

"Yeah, we're good..." Trinity said, going back to her food. "Why-?"

"Farrah," Eureka interrupted. "Has Valentina said anything to you?"

"She hasn't spoken to me at all," Farrah said, her eyebrows knitting together. "I thought you knew that."

"I thought she'd mention something to you. Specifically, about Aja," she said. 

Farrah shrugged. "No. But I overheard her in the toilets one time, clearly talking about her." She looked over at Trinity, whose face went sheet-white. 

"Yeah, she's said some stuff about her," Trinity added. 

"I just wondered if she'd said anything to you about her, directly?" Eureka asked. 

Farrah clenched her fists. "No, she hasn't."

It was like Valentina was subtly telling her to choose between her and Aja. Farrah had been close friends with Valentina since she'd just started freshman year; but, although her friendship (and now relationship) with Aja was fairly recent, Aja had been much more loyal to her, and she reckoned she could tell Aja just about anything. 

Valentina, on the other hand, was now showing her true colours: she was someone who couldn't be upfront, and definitely had it out for her girlfriend.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aja dips her toes into the water of Farrah's anxiety. Meanwhile, Valentina discovers something she wished she could unsee.

Farrah was lying on Aja's bed in her arms that evening, a heavy weight of anger towards her ex-best friend resting upon her. The whole ordeal infuriated Aja; not because Valentina despised her, but because it'd upset Farrah like this. Valentina could hate her all she wanted. 

Farrah had her head resting on Aja's chest, and she let out another defeated sigh. Aja twirled her fingers into her wavy hair in a basic attempt to comfort her, and Farrah smiled weakly. She intertwined their hands and rested them lazily on Aja's stomach. 

Aja wished she could stay in this position forever. 

"Ugh, like, why can't she be straight-up with me?" Farrah reiterated, the anger still festering inside her, clearly with no plans of settling down any time soon. "If she's not happy, she could've told me! Not that I'd do anything about it, now." She grumbled. 

"Hey, don't let her get to you like this," Aja cooed, stroking her hair. "She's a coward if she can't be honest with you about something like a friendship."

"Oh, God, she's gonna blow up when she hears about us."

Aja immediately stopped stroking her hair, and her whole body turned stone cold. She retracted herself and pulled away slightly, propping herself up on her elbow so she could look into Farrah's eyes, and she was met with a look of panic. 

"Who says she's gonna find out?" Aja questioned. "That _anyone's_ gonna find out?"

"Aja..." Farrah said, pulling back and sitting up, but the grip on each other's hands was still the same. "We have to tell them eventually; sooner rather than later."

Aja bit her lip and looked down. She thought coming out would be the hardest part of all this, but she was far from correct. Their friends had only just come to terms with them being friends, and girlfriends was going to step far over the line for them. She wasn't ready for that type of rejection again just yet. 

"... Yeah. Okay," she said simply. "When?" She would mentally prepare herself for whatever their reactions were. Not that she could tell or anything, but she liked to think she could help herself right now. 

Farrah shrugged. "As soon as we can."

That filled her with dread. When she didn't respond, Farrah took that as a cue to talk more. 

"Aja, we shouldn't keep it from them. Keeping our friendship from them for over a month was bad enough."

Aja sighed. 

"I get that you're not totally ready yet, but I don't want to stay in the closet around them," she said. "I want us to be honest."

"Okay," Aja gave in. She could see where Farrah was coming from. "Baby steps though, right?"

Farrah nodded. "Of course," she said. "We can just tell a few of them at first."

She went pale all of a sudden. "I'm so sorry; I don't want you to feel forced into anything," Farrah apologised, biting down on her bottom lip. "I'm sorry."

Aja knew that Farrah only had good intentions, and after all, she was at the point now where she just wanted to be fully open with the world about herself. But she'd only just regained her friends' trust, and it didn't take a genius to get that telling them anything new involving Farrah would practically throw their friendship out the window. Was it a risk she was willing to take? Probably. But not immediately. 

"No, it's okay," Aja assured. "I'll just start with Sasha and Alexis, and branch out from there. Maybe Shea, too."

"Are you sure it's okay?" she asked. 

"Yes; it may be scary, but it's the right thing to do."

"But are you, like, _totally_ sure?"

Aja crossed her eyebrows together. "Yeah, I'm sure," she said. "Why are you worrying so much?"

Farrah looked away, staring out of Aja's window as if she found the usual, boring street interesting suddenly. She poked her tongue into her cheek. 

"Farrah." She squeezed her hand. 

The blonde turned back to face her. "I just am," she said. "I feel like I'm pushing you. It just hit me, square in the face."

Sure, Farrah was emotional, but this seemed completely unnatural of her. She didn't normally worry like this; she appeared to be the confident one until this moment. As it turned out, neither one of them was that at all.

"You're not," Aja reassured. "It was a bold move, and I'm glad you took it."

"Really?" Farrah asked. "You're _sure_?"

" _Yes_."

Farrah pulled her into a hug, and Aja could feel a couple of hot tears leaking onto her neck (although she didn't say anything, for fear of upsetting her further). That only concerned her more, way more than coming forward with the truth to Sasha and Alexis did. Being this worried about boundaries just seemed so out of character, and she was going to get to the bottom of what was causing it. 

-

Farrah was pretty sure that she'd never been with someone more patient than Aja. Okay, so she was far from patient and certainly didn't take any shit thrown her way when they first properly met, but now? She put up with Farrah like she'd known her all of her life. That was far more than what anyone else she'd dated had done. 

She hoped that she hadn't noticed the minor stress-cry she had when they hugged, but if she did, she didn't say anything. They resumed their previous position once she'd quickly wiped her tears on Aja's cheer t-shirt, and her girlfriend held her closer than before. 

Farrah wondered if she could ever get past this: this constant panicking if she felt like she'd come to a line, let alone even crossed it. Seemingly bad decisions and misinterpreted actions just seemed to haunt her, and every time she proposed something, she felt like she was overstepping a boundary. It was easier when they were just friends, but she could put a whole relationship at stake with just one wrong move. Aja didn't seem too fazed by or against anything she'd suggested (at least, as far as she could tell. Over-analysing was a bitch). 

Farrah thought of herself as fairly confident, but at the start of every relationship, she never knew how to approach milestones; it felt like she was practising a new cheer routine and she didn't know what move she was doing next, and if she did one thing wrong, the whole routine would fail and someone could end up falling. 

But, Aja was patient with her. She was outgoing, talented, and ambitious on top of that, not to mention beautiful. And Farrah was forever grateful for that. Hopefully she'd pull herself together soon, and stop worrying over every single tiny thing. 

-

"I'll see you tomorrow, right?" Farrah asked, stepping out the door of Aja's house. 

Aja smiled. "Of course you will," she said, shutting the inside door to the hallway so her mother couldn't see them. She bent down to kiss her, caressing her cheek. She wanted that kiss to say something that her words couldn't: that she was here for her, always, and she'd try to understand her anxiousness; that she'd support her no matter what. 

Aja was pretty sure she got that across, because when she pulled away and squeezed her arm, Farrah was smiling. 

"See ya," she said, swinging her backpack with her clothes from school and homework in it over her shoulders and set off back home, her dangerously short skirt swishing side to side. 

-

Walking along the street, Valentina was minding her own business on the way to the store. She didn't live in this neighbourhood, but there was a store that sold exclusively candy and you could buy whatever you wanted for cheap, so it was worth the trek. 

She'd always liked this area due to the fact that every house was different to that around it, whereas the ones closer where she lived had the same, boring, cream exterior. This area's houses were all different colours, with different arrangements and styles of windows, and grand, wooden doors. She would've liked a house just like that; Valentina liked to think that she had an eye for artistry. 

She was almost at the store now, and she felt her stomach rumble. She'd seen Aja and Sasha down this road before, barely giving them a second glance as she walked past them, so she was pretty sure they lived around here. 

She turned round the same corner that she always did, and what she saw filled her with rage. The thought of the candy that she was getting close to was completely swept to the side. 

Farrah was stood so close to Aja, there was only a few inches between them. Valentina darted back around the corner and pulled her phone out to film - who knew what Aja was up to? She pressed the red recording button on the screen in case anything dramatic happened. 

And it sure did. 

Val couldn't quite believe her eyes, but it was right there before her. She looked over her phone to check she wasn't just seeing things, and to her great distress, her eyes weren't lying to her. 

They were kissing. And she'd just got it on video.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone starts a rumour about Aja, that both her and Farrah must get to the bottom of. Unfortunately, the only way they solved it was through a little accident...

"Have you been badmouthing the Bombers?" Farrah asked Aja, arms folded over her chest and a mean pout on her face. She'd cornered her by the toilets as everyone was on their way to their next class after break, and as teachers were also rushing back to their rooms, no one could notice them (well, that was until they turned up late). 

Aja narrowed her eyes at the accusation. "What?" was all she managed to say, confusion running through her mind. 

"You heard me."

"No, I haven't said anything about them," she said, scowling. 

"Well, that's not what I heard." Farrah stepped forward in an attempt to be intimidating, but it didn't work. 

Aja had no clue how Farrah had got this idea into her head, or who had even made up that rumour - they were all supposed to be friends, now. Maybe a few months ago, when they were supposed to be mortal enemies, such a thing may have happened, but now? Aja wouldn't dream of it. The Bombers treated her like a sister, and she wasn't going to throw that away. 

"Who told you that?" Aja asked her. 

"Eureka," Farrah said. 

"And who did she hear that from?"

She shrugged. "Around."

Aja raised her eyebrows. "Sounds reliable."

"Eureka wouldn't lie to me," Farrah exclaimed, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Oh, and I would?" Aja snarled. Defensive-Aja had been on hiatus for a while, but now she'd made a sudden return. She tended to blow things out of proportion, and not realise it until later. 

"That's not what I meant," Farrah huffed. "I'm just saying, she's usually a trustworthy source."

"I don't know who made up this piece of bullshit and told her to tell you, but whoever it was, you can tell them to shove their foot up their ass," she argued. "Because I'm not letting some petty rumour get in the way of our relationship."

Farrah stood there and just stared at her, not quite glaring, but there was nothing lighthearted in her eyes. 

"I'm not gonna be accused of something I didn't do, Farrah," Aja said, beginning to walk down the corridor to her next class. "Don't speak to me until you find out who the hell made this whole thing up."

Farrah was silent. 

Aja stormed into her English classroom and dumped herself down next to Sasha, unbothered by her teacher's remarks about her being late. She opened her book and got on with the work almost too hastily, and Sasha quickly picked up that something was wrong. 

"What happened, Aja?" she asked, putting down her pen. Sasha was far ahead of everyone else already, so she didn't care too much about wasting these precious minutes. 

Aja clenched her fist with her pen still in it. "Farrah seems to think I was talking about the Bombers behind their back," she laughed sardonically. "Which is bullshit, by the way."

"And why would she think that?"

She threw her arms up in the air. "Exactly! Eureka told her."

"... But Eureka likes you," Sasha said. "So, she's heard it from someone who clearly doesn't."

Aja nodded. 

"Think: what have you done in the past day or so involving the Bombers? Is there anything that could be taken and manipulated?"

She played back the previous day's events, but nothing seemed to stick out to her. The main thing she remembered was being with Farrah, and suddenly her heart hurt more when she thought back to how content they were just less than 24 hours ago. She certainly didn't like arguing with Farrah, but right now, defence was the only language she spoke. 

No matter how much she wracked her brain, Aja couldn't think of anything she'd said that could've been taken the wrong way. She was nothing but nice to the Bombers, and this was how one of them was repaying her? Once she found out who it was, she was going to rip them to shreds. 

"I can't think of anything, Sash," she said, slumping back down in her seat. 

"I'll help you figure it out," Sasha said with a smile, rubbing Aja's shoulder. 

-

They'd reached lunchtime, and still, no progress had been made. The situation was circling around Aja's mind, coming and going every so often, just enough to make her increasingly frustrated. Sasha had been working on the case too, but even she couldn't crack it just yet. But, to be fair, they didn't really have much to go off. 

Until everyone's phones went off. 

They all beeped simultaneously, apart from Aja's, and each Glamazon wore a stone-cold look. Aja went to her texts to see if maybe the notification hadn't come through, but there was nothing new there. All of her friends had just received something, and whatever it was, it didn't look great. 

"Aja... _what_ is this?" Alexis was the first to speak. 

"What's what?" she replied, perplexed. 

Alexis showed her the screen of her phone to see a video message from _No Caller ID_. She pressed play as everyone else watched her, and the video revealed her and Farrah outside of her house. Kissing. 

Once she'd opened her eyes and pulled back in the video, the filmer had darted off, stopping filming a few seconds after running. Funnily enough, a flash of an orange and white pleated skirt appeared in the corner of the screen, along with some worn, once-white sneakers. 

Oh, god, all eyes were on her, including a whole bunch of students that sat near their table; whoever had anonymously mass-texted the whole grade clearly didn't have any pleasant intentions. The cafeteria had quietened down as teenagers' eyes fleeted between their phones and Aja, who felt like a celebrity, although, for the wrong reasons. 

"Why didn't you tell us?" Shea asked quietly. "We'd support you."

"We've only been together a few days," Aja said. When she pictured revealing the truth to them all, she never imagined it happening because of a video. 

"Who texted this? One of the Bombers?" Jaymes questioned, looking over at their table to see a similar scene. 

Sasha gasped. "Whoever filmed it was probably the one who made up the rumour," she said. She turned to Aja. "We have tryout practice tonight; maybe we can work out who did it."

Aja nodded, taking it in. She looked over at the Bombers' table and was met with Farrah's solemn eyes. She was sitting rigidly on her seat, looking sorry for herself. While Aja felt bad that she was taking the blow too, anger towards her girlfriend's accusations was still very much present; all she could do was smile sympathetically. 

-

Aja walked in to practice after school ready to fight. Not literally, but she certainly felt like it after today. Even though she needed to focus on learning the next routine (although there wasn't even a guarantee that they'd got through), that wouldn't stop her from hyper-analysing each Bombers' outfit to see if she could figure out who the hell took that video. 

For the first time in a few months, the Glamazons and the Bombers were standing in their own little groups on opposite sides of the hall. They gave each other dirty looks just like old times. Aja looked over them all, studying their skirts in the most nonchalant way possible - but they were all the damn same. 

"Okay, guys," Cynthia interrupted, stepping forward and making eye contact with Aja, expressionless. "Whatever is going on, that needs to be put behind us today." She clicked her fingers at them all. "Now, get in your positions."

Reluctantly, the cheerleaders walked to where they were supposed to stand, and Kimora switched on the music. 

From that point on, practice ran as normal, although it was clear that none of the Bombers wanted to hang around Aja, even when they were forced to lift her into the air when they stunted. They'd throw her just a little too aggressively. The rest of the routine went well, and Aja found herself mesmerised by Farrah like usual. Despite how hurt she felt, that didn't affect her feelings towards the blonde. Cheerleading was something that everyone here took seriously. 

They practised the routine again and again like usual until everything was perfect, right down to the footwork and straightness of their backs. Now, they could add some new moves, and possibly try some different stunts. This part always made the cheerleaders nervous. 

"So," Cynthia began once everyone was safely on the ground, "I was thinking of adding more flips-" She looked at Shea, "-and we need more basket tosses. We really need to show the judges how talented we are."

They all nodded in acknowledgement. 

"Right - Aja and Trinity, get in your positions!"

Peppermint, Valentina, and Alexis prepared to lift Aja, gathering round her to support her legs and body before she went up. Aja felt uneasy at the thought of Bombers being in control of her for the rest of practice. 

Once given the cue, the lifted her up with the same force as before, strong enough to project her up higher than usual. However, Cynthia wanted more than that. It bordered on dangerous, but Aja knew she was in (mostly) safe hands. They threw her up again even higher, but this time, she felt something wrong. She was thrown just a little too forward, and she heard the gasps of everyone else below. She panicked and flailed in the air as she came back down, and Alexis rushed forward so she'd land in her arms before they both both crashed to the cold, hard floor. Aja shut her eyes as she prepared for impact. 

A chorus of concerned voices hurried over and crowded around them; Alexis moved her arms out from under Aja, using one hand to support her head. She opened her eyes and looked around, seeing Farrah crouched down by her side. 

"Aja!" she exclaimed, beginning to tear up. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Aja went to sit up, but stopped when pain seared through her back. She winced. "My back hurts," she said, lying back down. 

Farrah bent down to hug her gently, burying her head into her neck. Aja hugged her back, but her shoulders hurt as well. She rested her head on Farrah's shoulder, and as she did, one particular thing caught her eye. Through the pain, she noticed some dirty, grey sneakers next to them. She slowly looked up to the tan legs and orange skirt and was met with none other than Valentina. The sneakers were the exact same colour as the cheerleader's in the video. 

"Everyone go back to the changing rooms," Cynthia said, pointing towards the door. "Alexis and Aja, stay here. I'll find someone."

The cheerleaders did as they were instructed, except Farrah, who just pulled back and stroked Aja's hair. If she could have, Aja would've moved away and glared at her, but her current situation didn't allow that. Plus, she liked affection from Farrah, even if they were supposed to be fighting. 

"Guys, Valentina took the video," Aja said. "It was the same shoes and everything. "

Farrah immediately stopped what she was doing, her jaw clenched. "Oh my fucking god," she seethed, pushing herself off the ground and storming out of the door towards the changing rooms.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Farrah curses out Valentina, and paramedics are called to the rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: hey guys, I don't want to be depressing, but I'm gonna be depressing. I absolutely love this fic with all my heart, and I love seeing everyone's happy reactions, but lately it's been getting hard to write so that's why updates have been a bit all over the place. I feel like I need to take a step back and relax a little so there won't be updates every week, probably just every 2 maybe 3 weeks; I'd rather give you guys a good quality chapter that took a while than the ones I've been doing lately that feel like I'm just churning it out like a robot. Another factor of that is that school has me stressed, and I'm going through some personal stuff. I hope you can all understand and I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

Farrah stormed into the changing rooms where everyone else was, stomping into the Bombers' side to see everyone huddled together discussing what had just happened. Her presence stopped the conversation, and once she'd spotted Valentina, Farrah didn't hesitate in cornering her. 

" _You_ did this!" Farrah snarled, pointing an accusing finger at her face once she was backed against the wall. It was hard to be intimidating when you were 5'3", crying, and in a cheerleading uniform, so Farrah had to resort to volume. "You sent that video to everyone in the goddamn school. And you made up that rumour, too!" It dawned on her that she'd have to apologise to Aja for blaming that on her, but her intense rage pushed that to the back of her mind. 

Valentina had fear in her eyes, but that didn't stop her from biting back. "So what if I did?" she snapped. "Aja is a Glamazon, and-" At this point, the Glamazons had walked into their side of the changing room to see what the commotion was. They always loved a fight, especially one they could get behind. 

"Oh, don't start," Trinity said from the right adjacent wall. "No one cares! We're friends with the Glamazons now, and whatever you were about to call Aja, you're probably that yourself."

Valentina's eyes widened at her. "Excuse-"

"You were supposed to be my friend," Farrah added. "You were supposed to support me."

"I didn't _have_ to. I didn't _have to_ like Aja. And neither did you, you little traitor."

Farrah could feel the steam rising out of her ears. "Maybe I am a traitor," she growled. "But at least I'm not a bitchy. Little. Freshman." She jabbed her in the chest with her pointer finger between each word. 

"Oh, whatever," Val said. "Yes, I filmed that video; yes, I made up that rumour. Who cares?"

"Err, a lot of people," Farrah replied, "including me and Aja. And I've gone and accused her of backstabbing our team, which could've completely ruined everything between us." Valentina bit her lip and smirked. "But that's exactly what you wanted."

Farrah scowled at her and shoved her into the wall before storming out of the changing rooms, walking straight past Miss Visage and Cynthia who were headed back to the hall. She walked out of the front doors of the school, the sky just as light as before but the air chillier; these were the moments where she resented her skimpy cheerleader uniform. She sat down on one of the benches and put her head in her hands, scrunching up fistfuls of hair. 

She sat like that for a while, quickly beginning to shiver, but she was too stubborn to go back inside. In this moment, Farrah just wanted to be alone, and for someone so needy, that was a bad thing. She couldn't stay in the changing rooms with that horrid freshman and everyone else staring at her - it would be far too awkward, and it was probably a lucky escape after she'd pushed Val. But then again, she didn't want to go back to Aja, either. In fact, she didn't really know where they stood right now. The guilt of that accusation was eating her up, and it was clear that Aja was furious about it. Farrah was worried about her, too - who knew what the extent of her injuries could be? Knowing Valentina, she was probably the one responsible for throwing her that hard.

About ten minutes later, an ambulance pulled up on the school grounds, and several paramedics hopped out with medical kits. One of them approached Farrah, probably noticing her distress. 

"Excuse me, did you witness the accident?" he asked, bending down slightly so he was at her level. 

Farrah looked up and nodded. "I can show you to it," she said, pushing herself up off the bench and walking back towards the front doors of her school. The paramedics picked up the pace and started to jog, probably not knowing how good or bad the situation was, so Farrah joined them. 

Upon entering the hall again, Farrah saw Aja in the same position as before, and she couldn't stop a couple of tears from slipping out. She knew to keep her distance while Aja was being assessed, so she didn't go too close to her. And she didn't want to overstep a line, considering how things were. Sure, she'd let her stroke her hair and hug her, but she was probably in intense pain as the paramedics were trying to prop her up - it hurt Farrah just to look at it. 

It was more painful to just sit and watch all of this happen. None of the cheerleaders had any notable medical knowledge to ease the tension, so Farrah was just stuck trying to read expressions that had been trained over the years to be, well, unreadable. At least fifteen minutes passed slowly and quietly with only the voices of the paramedics to fill the silence, each one more uncomfortable than the previous. 

"It looks like there's bruising on the coccyx and shoulder blades, and a little on the spine," one of them concluded. "And it's starting to swell. You're lucky you didn't hit your head."

"Will I be able to do cheerleading, still?" Aja asked. 

"You need to have some bedrest, miss. The damage isn't serious, but physical exercise could lead to it getting worse."

Aja put her head in her hands. If she were alone, or only with Farrah, she'd be uncontrollably crying right now. 

-

Alexis supported Aja as they walked out of the school towards the ambulance. The paramedics had offered her a ride back home, but Aja wasn't stupid, and knew the costs of just a single trip. All they had to do was make sure she could walk (hence what they were doing now) and then her mom would pick her up. Farrah trailed behind them, following them until they reached the bench she was sitting on earlier. 

"Aja, can I talk to you for a second?" Farrah asked. 

Aja looked over at Alexis, who just raised her eyebrow at Farrah. 

"Alone."

"Sure," Aja said. 

Alexis got up, giving the blonde a look that said _you better not fuck around_ and walked away to leave them in peace. 

Farrah sat down in her place; Aja looked straight ahead, her jaw clenched. 

"I'm sorry," Farrah said. "Valentina admitted that she started the rumour; I don't know why I didn't believe you in the first place."

Aja clenched her fists. "I'm still angry," she said. "I thought you trusted me."

"I do, I swear. I just... I didn't know whether or not you'd just turn on me and the team like that."

She whipped her head around to face her, even though that hurt her neck. "I'd never betray you like that, Farrah!" she exclaimed. "They're my friends now, and I'm your _girlfriend_ , for fuck's sake!"

"I'm _sorry_! God, I know it was stupid."

Aja huffed and crossed her arms. "Yeah, it was." She faced forward again. "But thanks for apologising, I guess."

Farrah was silent. This was what she got for apologising? Of course she understood Aja's anger, but it hurt her. She'd never cared about anyone more than she cared about the girl sitting next to her on that bench. A tear fell and dripped down her cheek, but she wiped it away quickly. 

That made Aja's heart ache - it did every time. 

"As much as I want to stay annoyed at you, I can't," she gave in. 

Farrah looked up with hopeful eyes. "You forgive me?" she asked. 

Aja shrugged. "Sure, whatever," she said. "Look, it made me angry, but I'll get over it." She pulled Farrah into a hug, and she held her desperately close.


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cheerleaders are all preparing for prom, although Aja has some trouble being convinced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Long time no see I guess. In hopes of curing my writers' block, I decided to write something a bit different. Hope you enjoy!

Prom had snuck up on Aja. It was getting towards the end of the school year, and all of a sudden, half the school had gone crazy, intoxicated with the idea of attending a high school event with shitty music and spending heaps of money on an outfit they'd only wear once. Prom had never been her scene; it was overrated at best. But her friends had been badgering her all day about it (even Sasha) and she knew she'd have to go. Plus, she knew Farrah would certainly want to go with her, and making Farrah happy made herself happy. 

Aja's back still hurt, but it was bearable enough to go to school. She didn't go in the first couple of days due to the pain (although her girlfriend had dropped in during lunch those days to check on her), and that just allowed the anticipation of prom to build up within her friends, and they unloaded it on her as soon as they saw her. Farrah had contributed too, and Sasha had informed her that the blonde wouldn't stop talking to her about dresses and makeup. Aja found it sweet, and the thought brought a smile to her face. Prom was a whole two weeks away, so she could understand the commotion, but it all seemed so sudden; she could just whip something up the day before. 

"Guys, look at this one!" Charlie exclaimed, showing a picture of a flowing, rose dress on her phone. "It's so pretty."

The rest of the Glamazons crowded around the screen and marvelled at said dress, throwing compliments out into the air. Everyone was on their phones, searching for their looks on every prom dress website imaginable. Well, except for Jaymes. She was only a sophomore, and the prom was for juniors and seniors only - her and Valentina would be the only cheerleaders not attending this year, and that saddened the rest of them. 

Aja was looking as well, sifting through the virtual rack on her phone, but she couldn't find anything she liked. Prom dresses were just so ugly most of the time, and she wanted something she could actually wear in public that didn't have "bully me" written on it. Most dresses were frumpy, satin and/or polyester, and had cheap detailing on it. Not to toot her own horn, but Aja could make something more desirable in her Textiles class. Maybe she'd just buy something from a clothes store so she wouldn't be wasting her time or money. 

Farrah came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder, her phone in her other hand. "Found anything yet?" she asked. 

Aja sighed. "Nope." She shuffled to the side to silently tell Farrah to sit next to her so they could look together, and Farrah followed suit. 

"Well, I found some really pretty ones on this store's website, and - get this! - they do a couples' discount," Farrah exclaimed, beaming up at her. "That's if you're willing to wear a suit. That's the only way it applies. 

She scrunched her face up. "No, thanks," she said. 

"Ugh, fuck heteronormativity," Sasha drawled. "Don't shop there."

"But I love the dresses!" Farrah whined.

Shea chuckled. "She's joking," she said. "... I think."

"Add to cart..." Farrah narrated, clicking various parts of her screen, her tongue poking out the corner of her mouth as if it were a hard task. Aja peered over her phone to check out the dress, and Farrah wasn't lying - it was beautiful: a sheer blue with rhinestones placed sparsely over it, slowly getting closer together as they climbed further up the the boustier. It complimented her eyes perfectly.

"You guys realise that prom isn't for two more weeks, right?" Aja said. 

"Come on, Aja!" Alexis replied. "It's fun. You get to dress up, party, and see friends all before school ends for the summer."

"Yeah, I thought you'd be more into it." Farrah pouted. "You take everything so seriously."

Aja rolled her eyes. "Not prom."

Farrah looked up at her with genuine hurt in her eyes. "But-" she protested. 

"I'm _going_ ," Aja assured. "For you."

She broke out into a smile again and hugged her before going back to the Bombers' table. 

Sasha gave Aja a warm smile. "You guys are so sweet," she said.

Aja smiled back at her, and continued to browse dresses. 

-

Several days later, and the Glamazons were dress shopping. Most of them didn't trust buying their prom outfits online, even from a well-known store, so they'd hit the town, and as expected, dragged Aja along with them. Aja didn't really have anything in mind apart from the fact she wanted to match Farrah in some way - not that she'd admit it, but she found that type of thing cute. 

They visited just about every damn prom dress store in central Hollywood, but her friends were so picky. Alexis insisted it was because, "It's going to be a special night!", but it still frustrated Aja, and she quickly grew impatient. 

Aja had picked her own dress at about the third store they entered, and in all honesty, that was the thing that put her in the prom spirit. And, on the plus side, it wasn't even as ugly as the others; she wasn't expecting to like a prom dress, but here she was. It wasn't the typical long, flowing prom dress style, but that was probably why she liked it. Instead, it was more tight-fitting and complementary, and had blue detailing - so, it kind of accompanied Farrah's dress well. 

Sasha gasped as soon as Aja had picked it up. "It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. "Do you like it?"

"Strangely, yes," Aja had said. 

Now, they were all packed into another prom store (probably the twentieth they'd been in), which was relatively small, and covered in pink and glitter. The reflection of each tiny sparkle practically stabbed Aja in the eyes. 

"Ugh, Jaymes would've loved this," Nina commented, looking around in awe. "I wish she were coming."

Aja nodded. "It'll be strange without her. Like the tryouts," she said. 

"You guys are talking about her like she's dead," Alexis laughed. "Come on, let's just enjoy ourselves; it's what she would want. Oh, god, now I sound like you two."

Aja snickered at her and looked around anyway, squeezing past each mannequin in the cramped store. Nothing was really to her taste, but it wasn't like she had to pick something from here. Farrah, on the other hand, would've adored this place. Too bad she already had a dress. 

Alexis squealed, signalling that she'd found something she liked. Everyone gathered around instinctively, admiring the corsage she'd picked out. It... stood out. It was covered in rhinestones (because everything in this place had to be like that, obviously) and was bright pink, much like everything else in the store, but Alexis seemed to absolutely adore it. 

Shea had found a dress as well, and if a stranger encountered her in it, they would probably think she were a princess. Sasha took one look at it held up against her, and her eyes practically fell out of their sockets. She bit her bottom lip and looked back up at her girlfriend, smiling. 

-

"Try it on!" Farrah insisted as soon as Aja had presented it to her at her house. " _Please_."

"Do I have to?" Aja asked. "I just spent all day walking around and I'm tired." She only wanted to wear that dress once, and that was on prom night. She could imagine it now - the heavy material weighing her down, sticking to her the entire night, and then she'd inevitably spill something on it. 

" _Aja_ ," Farrah whined. "I really want to see it. And you know I'm definitely forcing you to look at me in mine."

"Yeah, I'd actually prefer that." Farrah's cheeks tinged pink. 

"Please, try it on!"

"Ugh, fine," Aja said, getting off the bed and taking herself and the bag with her dress in to the bathroom. She wasn't sure if they were at the stage in their relationship yet where they could comfortably get changed in front of each other. Plus, they agreed to just take "baby steps", although the term was quite ambiguous. It was clear that Farrah preferred to take it slow, anyway (Aja would get to the bottom of those spontaneous panics eventually). 

After changing, she walked back into her bedroom, twirling around once and watching the bottom half flare up. It was uncomfortable, just like she'd imagined, but when Farrah looked at her in the way she did, she forgot the feeling of the dress gripping her skin. 

"You look so beautiful," Farrah said, a little breathless as she stood up and wrapped her arms around Aja's waist. 

Aja dipped her head down to kiss her, tangling her fingers in her girlfriend's thick, blonde hair. Whether she was all dressed up or just in "lazy" clothes like she was now, Aja always thought that Farrah was beautiful, too. She always had. And even with her eyes closed right now, she could picture Farrah's blue ones and the genuineness of them. 

Farrah pulled back after a moment, her lips more plump than before and stars in her eyes. 

"I can't wait to see you like this at prom," she said breathlessly. 

And, all of a sudden, Aja couldn't wait either.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prom night finally arrives. Farrah is fretting about the evening, Sasha begins to question her feelings, as does Aja. Farrah confesses a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: hey sorry it's been a while. Mock exams are a bitch to get through, but I had my final one today, so hopefully the next update will come sooner (although no promises lmao). Anyway, enjoy!

Those two weeks before prom zoomed by so quickly, Aja barely noticed it. Everyone was so caught up in the hype, worrying about hair and makeup and things that they didn't even need to worry about. Aja still wasn't overly excited, but it did make her happy to see all her friends enjoying themselves. She was all organised, and didn't really have a care in the world. 

Farrah, on the other hand, wasn't exactly feeling that smooth cruise of relaxation. Her dress had only just arrived the day before, and in the wrong colour, of all things. Sure, pink was her favourite, but she'd ordered _blue_ , goddamnit! Needless to say, it led to her stress-crying into Aja's chest last night. 

On top of that, every makeup artist in the area was fully booked for the next few weeks. All the other students were having their makeup done professionally (apart from Aja, who figured she could do it herself), and she'd feel kind of stupid doing it herself instead. Others were just more organised, and must've booked very early in advance - makeup jobs didn't exactly get handed out in Hollywood. 

"Farrah, you literally take a Hair & Beauty class," Aja had laughed at her. "I'm sure whatever you do will be crazy gorgeous."

Farrah blushed, but it didn't distract her from her panic. "But it won't be professional!" she whined. 

"That doesn't matter," Aja said. "What matters is that you have a fun night." She squeezed her girlfriend's arm. 

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're not taking this seriously."

Aja tilted her head at her, raising one eyebrow. "Yes, I am," she said. "Farrah - you'll be absolutely fine. And I get that you're stressed, but you've got your dress, and isn't that, like, the most important part to you?"

"... I guess."

Aja squeezed her hand; in any other place she'd kiss Farrah's forehead or something, but they weren't out to the rest of the school. But that worked for them - it was better than every student in a mile's radius trying to intrude in on their private lives. 

Farrah returned the gesture. "I just hope it goes well."

"Of course it will, babe."

-

Sasha and Aja were getting ready in Sasha's room that evening, sorting their dresses and hair and such. Sasha had had her makeup done already, and she looked absolutely stunning. The beautician had attempted to do something with her bundle of blonde curls (or frizz), but to no avail. Only Sasha really knew how to style her hair and what it needed, so she'd have just been better off doing it herself. 

Sasha's room was full of obscurely-shaped mirrors that you couldn't really see your own reflection in clearly, so it was difficult for Aja to know what she looked like in her dress (Sasha had nailed her technique, but Aja couldn't quite get it). Of course, Farrah had insisted she looked beautiful the first time she saw her, but that wasn't really enough to go off of. 

Aja was carefully tending to her makeup when Sasha suddenly spoke up, sounding more nervous than usual. 

“I have a question,” Sasha said, her voice slightly wobbly. 

“Hmm?” Aja replied, concentrating on her eyebrows. “What’s up?”

“How do you know if you love someone?” she asked.

“Uh...” Aja said, pulling back from the mirror to look at her best friend. “I don’t really know, Sash.”

“You probably want context?” Aja nodded to this. “The thing is... I think I love Shea. But- I don’t know. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, and she just makes me so unbelievably happy.”

Aja beamed. “Well, that makes me glad, because I thought you were having cold feet or something.” She laughed, and so did Sasha, her shoulders relaxing. “But I don’t know what to tell you, ‘cause that’s something you have to know for yourself. However, in my not-so-humble opinion, I’d be damned if you didn’t love her. I’ve seen the way you guys look at each other.”

Sasha smiled for a second, before her expression dropped again. “Is it too early to say it to her?” she asked. 

Aja shrugged. “You guys have been together for, what, two months?” she asked. “Do whatever feels right.”

She nodded slowly. Sasha was beyond intelligent, but she knew it took a lot more than how clever she was to calculate the right time to bring such a thing up. Shea had grown to mean so much to her in the short amount of time they’d been together, and she wasn’t about to scare her off or something. Not that Shea would ever spook like that. 

Aja went back to her makeup, and Sasha went back to her hair, which she was trying to tame. On the bright side, it was looking far better than what she’d started with in the first place. Aja was almost done with her makeup - she was just on the eyes now, and then they’d be ready to go. 

“Do you love Farrah?” Sasha asked after a few minutes of silence. 

Aja almost dropped her liquid eyeliner, and her hand with the applicator in it froze. 

“Do I- do I what?” she questioned. Of course she’d heard her, but she needed a few extra seconds to prepare an answer. 

“Do you love Farrah?” Sasha repeated. She seemed more unfazed than before. 

“I, err, I don’t know,” Aja said. 

Aja had never been in love before, but she couldn’t yet say the same for Farrah. The very thought of being in love almost scared her - the control someone had over you, the way you felt about every one of their actions... And with Farrah, she felt that, but in a good way rather than bad. Sure, she was already head over heels for the girl, but love? Maybe not yet. 

“She makes you happy, right?” Sasha asked. 

“Yeah, of course!” Aja said. “But I don’t know if it’s love. At least, not yet.” She went back to her eyeliner once her pulse had slowed down. 

For a moment, her mind wondered back to Dahlia, a place she hadn’t visited in quite a while. Normally when this happened, something would fester in the pit of Aja’s stomach, growing and spreading like a weight throughout her body - it felt like regret most of the time, and sadness and/or anger, as well. Most of all, she regretted ruining their friendship, all over some stupid crush a year or two ago. That’s what hurt the most. But at that moment, when she thought of Dahlia, all she felt was bittersweet memories, without the grain of salt. 

-

For a shitty school hall, the prom venue was exquisite. The linoleum floor looked as if it were sparkling faintly, and ribbons and balloons coloured purple and white (possibly a nod to the Glamazons' win) adorned the ceiling and walls. 

Aja walked behind Sasha and Shea, holding hands and sharing a look of adoration. Sasha gave Aja a quick, “See you in a minute?”, before going inside with her girlfriend. The music boomed into the open air. 

Aja pulled out her phone to check if Farrah was on her way, and sure enough she was. 

_**Farrah**  
Just walking up now. <3_

Aja smiled at the little heart at the end, biting her lip as she looked towards the school entrance, anticipating Farrah’s arrival. 

A couple of minutes later, a beautiful vision in pink was strolling up the driveway to the back of the school hall, her hair flowing in a waterfall of blonde waves. A smile broke out on Farrah's face as soon as she spotted Aja outside the doors, and she picked up her pace without tripping in her heels. Aja's jaw dropped at the sight of her girlfriend, for this was the first time she'd seen her in her prom dress, and she looked absolutely transcendent. Suddenly, it didn't matter that it'd come in the wrong colour, because either way, Farrah looked gorgeous. 

"You look- you look beautiful," Aja told her. If they weren't surrounded by classmates, Aja wouldn't have resisted kissing her right now. 

Farrah broke out into a smile. "So do you," she said. "You need to wear dresses more often." She extended her hand for Aja to take, which she did, and they walked into the hall together. The volume of the music increased as soon as they were inside, and the two went over to join their friends. 

-

The evening seemed to drag, probably because standing around doing virtually nothing wasn't that appealing to Aja, but eventually the lights darkened and the music slowed down. In movies, this was the cue for everyone to stop what they were doing and find someone to slow dance with, and the loners were pushed out to the sides to make room for the vast amount of couples. Of course, Sasha and Shea paired up and made their way to the dance floor, where the other couples were already starting to gather. 

It wasn't like Aja to panic, yet she did, erratically looking around the room with eyes like a startled deer's. The only person she wanted to dance with was Farrah, but no way would that happen in front of everyone at school. 

Farrah took Aja's clenched fist and gave her a reassuring smile. "Do you want to?" She nodded towards the middle of the hall. 

"Yeah, of course, but-"

"People will just think we're good friends," Farrah said. "So, why not?"

But Aja didn't want everyone to assume they were just "good friends". Sure, it was the more comfortable option, but she wanted them to be seen as more than that. Something inside Aja made her want to show off her girlfriend, made her want to let everyone in close vicinity know that they were together - not in a bragging way, but in a more appreciative way... And in a proud way. She just wanted to take that leap, but unnecessary nerves wouldn't let her. 

This would be better than nothing. 

Aja squeezed Farrah's hand, and she was led to the centre of the dance floor. Farrah rested her hands on Aja's shoulders and laced her fingers loosely around the back of her neck, smiling warmly. Aja was pretty sure she should've put her hands on Farrah's waist, so she acted on that instinct. Her only knowledge of slow dancing was from cheesy movies that her girlfriend had made her watch, and she'd never really been one for those kinds of sentiments. 

Farrah smiled up at her, tucking a stray wisp of purple hair behind Aja's ear. She began to sway to the music, and Aja followed her lead, very slowly moving around in a circle on the spot. She could feel the many eyes on her, but she didn't dare let anyone have the satisfaction of knowing that. After all, it wasn't something uncommon to her - she'd had people stare at her her whole life. Either for her abundance of piercings, her acne scars, or the wild colours in her hair. But this was new, and strangely, she didn't mind it. 

Farrah wrapped her fingers in the tips of Aja's hair, twirling pieces around. "See?" she spoke softly. "Not so bad."

"You're not worried at all?"

She shrugged. "I've always been quite open with who I am," she said. "Sure, I worry about some other things, but this? Nah."

Aja chuckled at her. "Fair enough," she said. 

"And, uh, I also wanted to talk to you about something."

Aja furrowed her eyebrows. "What is it?" she asked. 

"Well." She sighed, bowing her head with a nervous smile. "I don't really know how to start this, so I'll just come out with it. It's probably way too early for you, but, err, I love you." She looked back up, her pupils widening at Aja's stone-still face. 

Aja's body froze in its place, stopping both of their movement. Farrah could sense her girlfriend's haste, and immediately moved her hand from Aja's hair back to her shoulder. 

"Too soon?" she questioned. "Oh, God, I'm sorry-"

"No, no, it's okay," Aja assured, sporting a half smile. "I just don't think I'm ready to say it back yet. And, babe, that doesn't mean I don't love you at all, it just- I don't know; I'm gonna start rambling. But I don't want it to feel forced, you know?"

Farrah nodded, but the hurt was clear. She understood, of course, but she couldn't help but feel raw and exposed in that moment. And Aja couldn't help but feel like she'd ripped out a piece of her girlfriend's heart.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aja finally steps up to the plate when it comes to confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I really hope this was worth the wait. This was definitely a more heart-wrenching chapter to write (maybe I'm just sensitive) so I hope you enjoy a bit of angst/hurt/comfort!

Aja was filled with guilt, yet she felt so hollow, as if that guilt had eaten away her insides and replaced them. She could never stand to see Farrah upset, and it was even worse right now because she was the one who'd made her feel this way. Sure, Farrah understood that Aja couldn’t reciprocate yet, but Aja knew that her girlfriend had practically exposed herself that night, opened up, confessed something. But the words didn't quite feel right on her tongue yet, no matter how many times she'd tried to muster them up, speaking to herself in her mirror. 

_Yet_. That was the word they kept focusing on. But when was “yet”? How far away was it? - and would it even come?

_Of course it will_ , Aja scolded herself. She wasn’t in this relationship just for nothing, not expecting any outcome or progression over time. Christ, they’d started off as sworn enemies, and look how far they’d come. 

But something at the back of Aja’s mind was now whispering to her, its words wrapping around her brain, and telling her that maybe she’d never feel the same as Farrah. And she hated that. She hated the very idea of not being in love with Farrah, because she was such a huge part of her life, now. They sent each other “good morning” texts; she saw her every day at school; she saw her at practice (which was now discontinued until after summer vacation, since the football season had ended and they had no idea if they had passed the tryouts). Farrah was Aja’s last thought before she went to sleep - so how in hell could she just eliminate that from her life? And how the fuck could she live with herself if she lost her?

Aja pushed herself off of her bed, still in her prom dress. She had to admit, although silently, that she actually liked the way it looked, and overall, she'd had a fun night. She walked over to her mirror and just stared at herself, her reflection seeming to glare back. Looking at herself as if she were another person sometimes helped her solve dilemmas, but no solutions came to mind; her head felt heavy, and she hunched over lazily. Maybe getting out of her prom dress would help relieve some tension, so she did just that. 

As she unzipped the dress, her phone buzzed from the bed. For a second, a flash of worry struck her, and she wondered if it was Farrah, panicking and apologising and trying to resolve this issue. She quickly snatched the device from her pillow to see, thankfully, that it was not the former girl mentioned. 

_**Unknown Number**  
Hi, Aja! This is Farrah's mom. I heard you two had some sort of disagreement and I just wanted to know if you could tell me what happened?_

Aja raised a sculpted brow in response. Farrah's mom was one of the nicest people that Aja had ever met, and the fact that she had the decency to text her so politely almost astounded her. Back in middle school, the families in her neighbourhood would never dare do such a thing - one little squabble, and the two belligerents' mothers or fathers would be having a screaming match outside someone's house. Aja couldn't count the amount of times the police had got involved, either for the fights or just out of sheer pettiness from the parents. 

She quickly added Farrah's mother to her contacts. 

_**Aja**  
Hey. I don't want you to worry too much about it, I'm sure we'll sort it out asap. Farrah didn't tell you what happened?_

_**Farrah's Mom**  
Nothing at all. Is it serious?_

Aja's lips contorted into a hard line, and she debated what she should reveal. Farrah's mother had no clue about their relationship (none of their family did), so she couldn't exactly tell her all about it, as much as she wanted to get this huge weight off her chest. 

_**Aja**  
I'm sorry, I wish I could help, but I feel like this whole situation is too personal, and I don't want Farrah to feel like she can't control what you know, y'know? Maybe it's better if you speak to her about it. _

_**Farrah's Mom**  
That's okay, sweetie. I understand. I'll speak to her now. _

She let out a relieved sigh - that could've gone south very fast. She hoped that Farrah would at least tell her mom something; when she would bottle up her feelings, they would overflow very quickly, and those feelings turned to tears at a drop of a hat. Aja did not want to be held responsible for that. 

-

When her phone buzzed to life the next morning and woke her up, Aja really wished it hadn't. She'd expected sleep to take care of the draining feeling of guilt she had, but her head was still heavy and dense, and the wave of emotions just came into shore all at once. 

It was Saturday, so she hadn't set an alarm, and it took her a hot minute to realise that the buzzing was signalling a phone call. She grabbed at her phone from the desk beside her bed and blinked a couple of times before she read the name at the top: Farrah.

Her stomach sank and she took a deep breath before sliding her thumb along the bottom of her screen and pressing the cold glass to the side of her face. 

"Hello?" she said tentatively into the phone, her throat clearly dry. 

"Did I wake you up?" Farrah replied quickly, with an obviously worried tone. "God, I forgot you're not normally awake at this time-" 

"Yeah, but it's okay," Aja cut her off. This early in the morning (okay, it was half past ten) was not the right time to be feeling remorse. "What is it?"

"Um... Can I meet you at some point today?" she asked, and Aja took note of the hoarseness in her voice. "I feel like we need to."

Aja nodded to herself. "We do. Any place in mind?"

"Just anywhere is good. The park, maybe."

"That's alright with me."

"Good, good..." There was silence for a moment. 

"So, I'll see you at, like, three o'clock?"

"Yeah, sure," Farrah said quickly. 

"Okay." She sighed as she spoke the word. "Bye."

"Bye." Their farewells lacked their usual cheeriness, and the bitter sounds left the air around Aja feeling cold, despite the oncoming summer heat. She shivered under the thick duvet of her bed and rolled over in an attempt to go back to sleep, if that was even possible with her mind running endless circles. She forced her eyes shut and pulled the covers over her head as if that would block out all mental sound, and tried her best to relax once more. 

-

Aja woke up again, this time by her own accord, around two o'clock. She was always one to sleep in at the weekend, although never normally until this late. With one less-than-swift push out of bed, she figured her body knew how much she just wanted to curl up under her duvet and escape the whole situation, which is what she usually did. Until she met Farrah. 

Every time she wanted to keep something locked up, someone always found the key and pried it out of her; whether it was willingly or not varied, but most of the time it was the latter. 

From the moment she'd found Farrah that night, all ability to keep things avoided had vanished. And she wasn't exactly _blaming_ Farrah for this, like it was a _bad_ thing, but she definitely didn't enjoy it. However, if anything, it was for the greater good. A year ago, Aja would've flat out ghosted someone in order to never bring up an issue that certainly needed addressing, and now? She was actually leaving her house to discuss such an issue. 

Dahlia was something - or some _one_ (she was simply just a subject to her now) - that needed to be talked about. Not with anyone in particular, but Aja had been actively ignoring the weight in the back of her mind for the past year at least. It would take a while, but some time soon, she'd take that key for herself and unlock all the thoughts that had been trapped in her head, ones that needed to be spoken aloud instead of just to herself when it crossed her mind. 

Aja quickly got dressed, grabbing some clothes from the floor that she’d discarded after school yesterday, before taking her phone and heading downstairs. Her mother must’ve been out; she could tell by the fact that she wasn’t standing annoyedly in the kitchen, about to scold Aja for getting up so late. She was grateful - it meant she didn’t have to talk to anyone else about what was going on. 

She glanced over at the toaster in the far corner of the countertop, her stomach rumbling, but she wasn’t hungry. The thought of confrontation made her sick to her stomach, full to the top with nervousness. But it was still too early to leave, and she needed some sort of distraction, so she grabbed a piece of bread from its bag and anxiously bit into it. 

The time it took was agonising, and Aja was sure that time had decided to slow down and no one had told her the news. But, eventually, the clock on the cooker struck 14:40, and she decided it was time to leave. 

When she eventually arrived at the park, Farrah was already sitting on one of the swings, rocking it back and forth nonchalantly. Aja approached her, a concoction of fear and guilt rising in her gut the closer she got.

"Hey," she greeted quietly, and Farrah's head snapped around and up to face her. 

It was clear that she resisted the natural action of smiling, and instead replaced it with a simple, "Hi."

Aja sat down on the adjacent swing and rocked it too, albeit far more nervously, and turned to face her girlfriend. "So..." she started. "Where should we start?"

Farrah shrugged. "You can start, if you want," she said. "I... I'm not really sure what I want to say."

Aja nodded and tried to compose herself. Her mouth didn't exactly understand the meaning of control, and she didn't want whatever she was going to say to come out as some incoherent mess. 

"First of all, I'm sorry," she said, and she meant the apology wholeheartedly. "I'm sorry, and I never meant to make you upset."

Farrah acknowledged that with a nod and a quiet, "Thank you."

"I'll be honest, I've never been in a proper relationship before, and I'm not the one to throw around love all the time- not that you do, I'm not saying that." She put her hands out in front of her in a low surrender to accentuate her point, and she felt as if she were pushing down the rising levels of anxiousness. "And, when you told me you loved me," her blood ran cold at the thought, "it made me panic, because... Well, I didn't expect it. I didn't believe it- that's not me doubting you in any way, it's- I don't know. I think it's me doubting myself." She closed her eyes to shut out the world for a second, and inhaled deeply to bring herself back. 

"That... That makes sense, now that I've heard it," Farrah said, and her voice didn't sound as forlorn as before. "And, Aja, I _do_ love you-"

Aja was going to frantically interject and reiterate her excuse yet again, but Farrah continued. 

"-And yes, I know you can't say that back yet. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to remind you. Unless that makes you really uncomfortable, then I'll stop im _mediately_ -"

"Farrah, it's okay," Aja said, and those three words seemed to relax her hunched shoulders and calm her voice. "Look." She looked down at the ground to avoid eye contact. "I really like you. _Really_ like you, trust me. And, fuck, I don't want to lose you. So, I'm just asking for you to wait. I'm sure you have way more experience than me when it comes to relationships, and this one probably isn't great-"

"Aja, are you serious?!" she questioned, and Aja's heart stopped. Her eyes shot back up to Farrah's, and her eyebrows were furrowed together in confusion. "This isn't bad at all - this is one of the best relationships I've had. Yeah, of course I was hurt, but I'm not an asshole. Of _course_ I'll wait."

Aja launched herself at Farrah, wrapping her arms around her, and a second later, a wave of relief washed into shore at the contact. Farrah responded a moment later with a squeeze, her arms around her girlfriend's neck. Aja was off of her swing now and simply bent down so she could reach Farrah, and her hands impulsively went to stroke the top of her blonde waves gently. She buried her head into her hair, feeling like she'd missed the smell of Farrah despite it being less than a day since she last saw her. 

"So, are we good?" Aja asked, her voice muffled. 

Farrah nodded against her shoulder. "We're good," she said. 

-

Snuggled under Aja's duvet, the two cheerleaders felt at home again, watching a movie on Aja's mom's laptop. For once, Farrah had let Aja pick the film (probably out of pity, considering the vast amount of movies that Farrah had forced her to watch) and she'd decided on _Rent_. Its long length kind of made up for everything she'd been made to see over the past couple of months, plus its songs were amazing, so it really was the best choice. 

Aja had a double bed with all the space in the world, but Farrah had decided she needed to be as close as possible to Aja, so they were both pushed towards the right hand side of the mattress. Aja kind of liked it. No, she loved it. She loved being this close to her. 

"No!" Farrah let out a yelp. "Angel's dead? Aja, is she dead?"

This part always made her tear up, but she wasn't going to cry in front of Farrah. She'd only seen her cry once, she was pretty sure, and she wasn't about to make herself look like a pussy. In her own words. 

She simply nodded, adding a faltering, "Yup," to it. 

Farrah gasped as if this was the biggest plot twist of all time, and the action made Aja chuckle and choke back some of the approaching tears. She held on to Aja's midsection, pressing her forehead into her ribcage and letting out a small whimper, much like a child's.

Watching this scene had always forced Aja into the characters’ shoes, and the empathy she felt for them was far too overpowering. She rubbed Farrah’s back, and her reaction made her feel better about her own; she let a few tears slip out, and she sniffed. 

This caught Farrah's attention, and she slowly pulled back to look at Aja, eyes reflecting the laptop screen. She felt uncomfortable under Farrah’s gaze, slightly exposed, almost. 

Farrah just looked scared; she knew that if seeing Aja cry was a serious matter, and if she even recounted it to anyone, Aja had told her, “You’ll no longer have a mouth to tell anyone with.” She wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but it was threatening all the same. 

So, she just hugged her, which was probably the best thing to do. Aja couldn’t help but feel childish crying over a movie, even though Farrah did it all the time. Well, she felt childish crying overall. She felt too vulnerable. And as she returned Farrah’s hug, she thought about embracing that vulnerability - Farrah already had. Because if this was how she felt just showing emotion, she needed to change - maybe take that key and finally unlock something by herself.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aja and Farrah finally discuss their past, and what it means.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: okay so this was published on aq last month but I forgot to publish it here!! So if you only read this fic through ao3 I’m terribly sorry for the wait.

“Maybe it’s time we talk,” Aja piped up a few hours later. It had reached nine o’clock and the two were still warmly huddled in Aja’s bed, mostly distracted from the day's events by the movies they'd watched. 

Farrah removed her head from Aja's shoulder and reclined so she could give her a questioning look. "About what?" she asked. 

Aja sighed, pressing her lips together. "A lot of stuff," she said. She knew she was being vague, and that was probably making Farrah panic, but she didn't know how else to go about it. She didn't exactly have much experience. 

"Like...?" she questioned, her hand going to Aja's and stroking her fingers softly, yet in an agitated way. 

Aja looked down at the motion so that she had something to focus on. "Like... relationship anxiety - if that's what it's called." She could feel the shiver run up Farrah's hand. She feigned shock, as if that idea were a ridiculous one, and Aja looked back up and tilted her head as if to say, "Really?"

Farrah looked off to the side, suddenly finding Aja's curtains very interesting. "I... may have something like that," she admitted, sighing. 

She smiled softly. "I'm proud of you for saying that," she said, and she meant that truthfully. Farrah smiled back, making eye contact again. "So, I was thinking, it's something we should talk about. Because it concerns both of us."

"You have it too?"

Aja shrugged. "Who knows. Probably." She looked down again for a second, biting her lip, before looking back up. "... Which is another reason why I wanted to discuss it."

Farrah took a deep breath as well as a hold on Aja's hand. "I want to discuss it as well."

Aja smiled, silently encouraging her to continue. 

Her eye contact faltered, and she spent a couple of seconds looking for something to focus on, to ground herself, before she went on. 

"Well," she began, "there was this girl, almost a year ago. It wasn't anything serious to her, but it was to me, which was the problem. It was a "fling", I guess." She made quotation marks with her free hand. "And so that really hurt me. I genuinely thought she cared."

Aja reached over, suddenly full with heartache and anger at this girl, and she didn't even know her. She pulled Farrah tightly to her chest as if she were trying to push all of her together, in case she started crying and fell apart. 

"I'm sorry, baby," she told her, rubbing her back. She could feel the hot tears that were streaming down her face begin to soak her shoulder, and Aja only hugged her tighter. 

Farrah pulled back, but still held on to Aja's arms. "This girl, like, ghosted me one day when I asked her what we actually were, and she still hasn't spoken to me since."

"Did this bitch go to our school?" Aja was bursting at the seams with rage. If she'd known this girl, she would've stormed out of the house at that moment and demanded a witch hunt (or, more suitably, a bitch hunt). 

Farrah shook her head. "I met her at this party; we had mutual friends."

"Did anyone else know this happened?"

She hunched her shoulders in an awkward half shrug. "I told Valentina everything, because she was one of my best friends," she said, her voice breaking again. "And I mean _everything_ that happened between us. But that was the only person I told. So, when she suddenly stopped talking to me a couple months ago... that hurt almost as much. She _knew_ that would hurt me, Aja-"

"I know, Farrah, I know. She's such a bitch - no, a cunt. Her and that girl, especially. I just... I can't believe someone would do that to you."

Farrah whined, about to burst into tears once more, throwing herself into Aja's embrace again. Neither one of them cared that Aja's shirt was turning into some sort of rag at this point, saturated with tears. 

Aja was simply in disbelief at the confession. She couldn't believe, didn't want to believe that someone would do such a despicable thing to Farrah. _Her_ Farrah, so seemingly innocent, so sweet and caring. The anger inside her made her forehead crease in frustration, her cheeks fiery, and brought out violent thoughts. What she would do to this girl if she ever saw her, she didn't really want to go into detail about. 

Farrah continued sobbing somewhat loudly into Aja's neck, practically sitting on her lap like a child at this point. Aja didn't know what to do (she didn't deal well with crying) apart from stroke her hair; she knew Farrah liked that, and it was her best shot at calming her down. She wrapped a few locks of blonde waves around her index finger and twirled them for a few seconds before dropping it and repeating. The action, she found, was soothing to both of them, and after a few minutes, Farrah's crying subsided. She pulled back a moment later, changing her position so that her legs were now wrapped around Aja's waist. 

"I'm sorry about that," she said nasally, her nose now notably stuffy. 

"No, no, don't apologise," Aja said, her eyebrows creasing. She wiped away a few remaining tears with the pad of her thumb and Farrah's head sank into her touch, pouting guiltily. "It's perfectly okay."

"It's just all been so... pent up for so long, and the only person I've ever told decided to be an asshole."

"I'm not gonna be like Val," Aja assured, "and I can tell you that for a fact. I'm always here for you - I promise." She stared up into Farrah's baby blue eyes, wide and glassy, and she hoped that her own conveyed the truth she was telling. 

Farrah looked down. That's what Valentina had told her when she'd confessed everything about that fling, and she couldn't help but question where she was putting her trust. But, fuck it, this was Aja, _her_ Aja, who she knew would never hurt a soul (despite how badass she tried to be sometimes). She'd been stuck on this teetering cliff for so long, and it was time to take a leap once more. 

"I believe you," Farrah told her. "I trust you."

Aja flashed a smile, bringing her hand along with Farrah's face down to meet hers for a kiss. Their lips touched gently, like Farrah was too fragile to handle anything more intense, and Aja caressed her cheek lovingly, her fingers moving to tangle themselves in her hair. Farrah moved forward, deepening the kiss, eliciting a tug on her hair from Aja. Farrah's hands wandered to her girlfriend's lower back and tickled the hem of her t-shirt, finding warmth in the heat of Aja's skin. Her sigh turned into a soft moan as her shoulders relaxed; she hadn't even noticed that they'd tensed. 

Aja leant forward, their faces pressed together uncomfortably for a second as she moved one hand to Farrah's back and laid her on her back so that she was hovering over her. She opened her eyes for a second to catch a glimpse of the blonde, the only thing illuminating her being the faint light of her mom's laptop, before leaning back down to kiss her again. 

A few moments later, Farrah placed a hand on Aja's chest and pushed her back a couple of inches. Both of them were breathless and their lips were reddened while they took some time to just look at each other, and Aja was reminded of how beautiful she thought Farrah was. 

"I don't want us to get distracted right now," she said, still a little breathless. "I love kissing you and all, but isn't there more stuff to talk about?"

Aja sat up so that she was sitting between Farrah's legs. "You mean stuff that _I_ need to talk about?" she huffed. She knew what she'd got herself into, but she'd hoped that Farrah would forget about it amidst making out. 

"... Yeah," Farrah said. She suddenly tugged on the bottom of Aja's shirt. "Don't, like, get up and run away like a deer."

"What? I won't."

She giggled. "You sure look like you're going to."

She pulled Farrah back up, who still kept a light hold of her t-shirt, and rested her hands on her waist. 

"I'm staying," she reassured, smiling, and Farrah returned the smile. 

"So." She tilted her head. "Talk to me. What's happened that makes you feel that you have this kind of anxiety?"

Aja laughed. "You sound like a therapist."

Farrah raised her eyebrows before laughing along with her. "Oh, God, I was just trying to sound nice and understanding."

"Like a therapist would."

"Shut up," she chuckled. "I want to listen to your deep-rooted issues like a loving and supportive girlfriend."

Aja rolled her eyes playfully before her stomach rapidly dropped. The room suddenly felt very small, like her and Farrah were a couple of caged birds. She'd never discussed this outside of her old friendship group, and even then, she'd kept it brief. Not even Sasha knew about it, and she considered her to be her best friend. 

"Well," she started, focusing on the feeling of material in her hand, which she found helped ground her. That, and the general presence of Farrah almost sitting on her lap. "When freshman year started, I really liked one of my friends from middle school. But I wasn't out." Farrah gave her a sympathetic look. "So, like, one day she was at my house and I kissed her for some stupid fucking reason, and obviously, she freaked out because we were fourteen and had known each other since we were pretty much kids -"

Sensing that she was stressed, Farrah slipped her hand under Aja's shirt, her palm warm to the touch and the contact strangely calming. She began to trace lines across her ribs with her thumb, and Aja took a couple of slow, deep breaths before continuing. 

"After that, it was really awkward, and put me off coming out for a while, obviously." She gestured loosely with her hands. "My other friends were stuck in the middle but since I was at a different school to them, they stayed closer to her than me. Which is great. Thanks for listening to my TEDtalk!" she exclaimed sarcastically, fully aware of how quickly she'd been talking. She was out of breath, not from the speed of her speech, but from the sheer panic she was feeling. 

"Aja..." Farrah cooed, snaking her arm around her back to pull her into a hug, and Aja rested her head in the crook of her neck. "Thanks for telling me. I know you don't really like this sentimental shit."

Aja laughed softly. "Clearly. I just thought, it would be better to let you know because I know that during this whole thing there's been times where I've come across really defensive. And I'm sorry about that, seriously, and it's just the idea of telling people secrets and stuff."

"It's okay, babe," Farrah said, still making patterns across Aja's skin. "I'm glad you brought it up."

Aja planted a gentle kiss on her collarbone as a sign of acknowledgment. 

"I know I apologise a shit-tonne, and that's because I'm afraid of coming on too strong. I'm sorry about that -" she laughed at herself. "Speak of the devil."

"We're a bit messed up, I think," Aja said. "But that's okay."

Farrah nodded against her shoulder. "It is. I'm happy we spoke about this; it's been on my mind for a while." 

Aja squeezed her tightly. A humongous weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she felt like a bird that was finally able to fly. The room expanded once again and everything felt normal-sized. For the second time that night, Aja let a tear or two slip out, although she made sure they were undetectable to Farrah. 

"Should we watch another movie?" Farrah suggested with a giggle, pulling back. 

"I think that's enough for one day?" she replied. "Even by our standards."

Farrah pouted. "One more?" she asked. Aja raised an eyebrow at her. " _Ajaaaa_ ," she drawled out, looking up at her girlfriend with puppy-dog eyes. 

"... Fine," she gave in. "I'll go downstairs to grab some food."

Farrah squealed with happiness and turned towards Aja's mother's laptop to search for something worth watching. Aja cursed at herself silently for giving in so easily, and walked down the stairs to her kitchen. 

Amidst grabbing a couple bags of chips, her mother's voice interrupted her. 

"Are you guys okay?" she asked, and the sudden appearance of noise startled Aja. 

She composed herself quickly, taking the bags down and placing them on the counter to her right. 

"Yeah, why?" she asked. 

"I thought I heard Farrah crying earlier," she said. "Was she?"

She turned around. "Oh, she's... going through some stuff right now. I was comforting her."

"Okay." She was surprised her mom didn't put up much of a fight. In any other circumstance, she would've inquired further, asking for exact details of why Farrah was upset, or if she should call her mother. Maybe she was becoming more relaxed, especially about the idea of Aja having a "friend" over fairly often. "I'll leave you to it. I'll check on you two before I go to bed." Aja instinctively bent her head down for her mom to kiss it, which she did, before heading back upstairs with the chips. 

She dumped the bags onto her bed and climbed in under the covers; Farrah was already relaxed with pillows surrounding her and the duvet pulled right up to her chin, her arms protruding over the top. 

Aja pressed play and sunk back into her own pillow, following suit. Farrah rolled over and nuzzled into her side, and Aja's hand automatically went to her hair, tangling her fingers in the mass of blonde waves. 

-

Both of them were falling asleep by the time the movie reached its credits, and Farrah jolted awake at the sound of silence. The bags of chips lay opened on the floor, half the packet still left over which would probably be stale in the morning, but neither one of them cared in that moment. 

Aja pushed herself up, accompanied by some momentary complaining from Farrah, to switch off the laptop and place it on the ground so neither one of them knocked it off the bed during the night. Once she was back down, Farrah pulled her close so that she had her head resting on Aja's chest. Aja stroked her hair and she signed contentedly. 

"You're like a puppy," Aja whispered with a soft laugh. "You need so much attention all the time."

"Oh, shut up; you love all of this," she teased. "I know you love coddling me."

"What? No, I don't," Aja said, pulling her arms away from Farrah. "I just do it because _you_ love it." She folded her arms over her chest and rolled over just to make a point. Of course she could go a minute or two without being all affectionate. 

“Aja,” Farrah whined, trying to coax her back over, but Aja stood her ground. “Please, turn over.” She pulled the top of Aja’s t-shirt. 

Aja didn’t respond, and she knew the silence was torturous for someone who craved attention like it was a drug. 

Farrah slumped over the side of her, draping her arm over her waist and resting her head on her shoulder. She could’ve fallen asleep right then and there. Just as long as she was next to Aja. 

“ _Babe_ ,” Farrah said, lining her arm up with Aja’s crossed ones. “I want to cuddle. _Please_.”

Beginning to resist, Aja slowly rolled back over and wrapped her arms around Farrah. As expected, Farrah returned the action, and smirked at the fact that she’d got her own way so easily. 

“Fine,” Aja said. “I give in.” There was no response apart from the smile and pleased sigh against her chest. 

Aja ran her hands up and down Farrah’s back, something she knew soothed her. Her tight grip quickly relaxed, and before she knew it, Farrah’s breathing began to even out and slow down. Aja pulled the covers up so that they covered Farrah’s shoulders, and she rested her head just over Farrah’s. 

She always felt peaceful at times like this, and tonight was no different, especially after all they’d talked about. With a deep sigh, she felt all the previous panicking crumble away. She’d never felt as close to Farrah as she did right now, not physically, but emotionally. 

“Farrah?” Aja whispered.

Already falling asleep, Farrah hugged Aja slightly tighter to let her know she was listening. 

Aja kissed the top of her head before whispering, even quieter, “I-I love you.”

She could tell Farrah had heard her, as she pressed a kiss against her chest.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cheerleaders decide to hold some auditions for new girls to replace the seniors when they leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy 1 year anniversary to this fic! The first chapter was submitted on April 7th last year, hence why I decided to publish this chapter at the same time. I can't believe it's taken me a year to reach 30 chapters! Also during the time of writing this chapter I met a load of queens including Farrah which was literally the best night of my life and she was incredibly sweet.   
> As a little celebration I made a Spotify playlist for this fic :)

[spotify playlist](https://open.spotify.com/user/hadfieldputt/playlist/52H1eMUixSsA5WQwLNwoDS?si=35sdld7hT9WSQWKN6OUNVg)

When Monday came around, the cheerleaders received an announcement from Miss Visage, with Cynthia standing by her side. They'd both come to the conclusion that they'd need to host auditions to acquire new cheerleaders in time for when the seniors graduated. There were six in total - Charlie, Cynthia, Nina, Alexis, Kimora, and Peppermint - and they needed to fill every spot to fit the routines that they did.

"Since RuPaul's Glamazons won this season, we decided that they could be in charge of auditions," Miss Visage had told them all first thing in the morning. "B-52 Bombers: you can attend if you'd like, but the Glamazons will get first pick from the lineup if you don't."

"I'll definitely be there," Cynthia had assured. "You can go to your classes instead and I'll pick the best girls!"

A feeling of excitement had bubbled in Aja's stomach. She missed cheerleading so dearly since football season had ended and they were waiting so desperately for their results from the tryouts. She'd never had the privilege of attending an audition as a judge before, as previous captains had been much stricter and the teachers less involved. Even if she wasn't going to perform, it filled her with happiness to witness someone else do it. Plus, she got to wear her cheer uniform, which she hadn't even looked at since the tryouts.

They organised to host the auditions in a week's time, and Shea got to creating the advertisements. The end result was a giant header, reading, "Cheerleader Auditions," in a sparkly, pink font that resembled the format of some text from Microsoft Publisher, with, "Monday after school in the gym - GOOD LUCK!" written underneath in cursive. It looked very girly (not to perpetuate stereotypes, Aja reminded herself) and almost childish, but all of them were happy with it and it got straight to the point.

So, when next Monday quickly arrived, everyone was raring and ready to get this going. They put up signs on the gym door to less-than-subtly remind people of the auditions, and provided sheets outside for people to put their name, age, grade, etc. down so that they were easy to keep track of. Aja admired her team's organisation skills, and everything felt very professional.

Sitting at the table in the gym were all of RuPaul's Glamazons, as well as Cynthia, Valentina, and Eureka. The rest of the Bombers had decided that class was more important, even if it was almost the end of the year, and so had passed on this opportunity.

"Who's next?" Aja asked, who was sitting on the right-hand side of the table.

Cynthia, who was next to her, flipped through the application forms for a moment. So far, most of the girls had been fairly disappointing.

Her eyes widened once they landed upon the name at the top of the sheet in her hands. "Oh, my God," she said.

"What?" Aja questioned. "Someone famous or something?"

"Well, _kind of_ ," Cynthia replied. "Brianna Cracker - that's Bob the Cheerleader's younger sister! And Peppermint's cousin!"

Aja's expression mirrored Cynthia's, as did the rest of the table. “You mean Miz Cracker?” she asked. “Apparently she goes by that now.”

"Have you guys seen her cheer before?" Jaymes asked. "I saw her with who I presume is her old team a couple years ago at a convention centre and she won some trophy."

"Then I imagine she's pretty good," Shea said. "Should we call her in?"

Cynthia nodded. "Miz Cracker!" she called towards the door, and a second later, a petite, blonde girl walked in.

She looked nothing like Bob. First of all, she had extremely voluminous, blonde waves, and was about a foot shorter than Bob was. However, all of them were sure that their talent would be on the same level, or at least, they were hopeful.

"Hiya," Cracker said with a grin.

"Hey," Sasha said. "What kind of position are you auditioning for?"

"Preferably a flyer," she replied.

"Alright; go ahead," Sasha said. "Show us what you have."

Cracked nodded curtly, and quickly tied her hair back into a low ponytail. She leapt forward into a front handspring, looking almost weightless as she did it. Next, she did a backflip before cartwheeling, landing in the splits. Compared to other people they'd seen, this was quite advanced, especially for a sophomore. A lot of the current cheerleaders had only learnt moves like that from being on the team, certainly not before that.

She pulled herself up and bowed, receiving a round of applause form everyone.

"Seniors? Any requests?" Sasha asked, looking around the table. They had agreed that the seniors could have the most say in who would join the team, especially considering that they were the ones being replaced - the new girls had to carry on that talent.

"Can you do a back handspring?" Eureka asked.

"I can try..." Cracker said. She took a visibly deep breath before bending her knees and throwing herself backwards into a shaky back handspring, landing precariously on her feet. Eureka seemed impressed, raising her eyebrows.

“Great!” Cynthia said, smiling. “Can you cheer?”

“Sure...!” she replied hesitantly. “What do you want me to say?"

“We are RuPaul’s Glamazons; got our cheering panties on,” Aja piped up. She was impressed thus far, and if she heard the Glamazons’ words come out of her mouth, she could be even more convinced of Miz Cracker’s talents. “Our beat is unstoppable; our hair is unclockable.” Cracker got her gist and went ahead.

“We are RuPaul’s Glamazons; got our cheering panties on!” she belted, a grin spread across her face. “Our beat is unstoppable; our hair is unclockable." She concluded with one hand on her waist and the other up in the air, shaped into a triumphant fist. It was convincing enough.

"That was great!" Sasha encouraged. "Thanks for coming. We'll let you know at the end if you made the cut."

"Thanks!" Cracker nodded at her before leaving the gym, more spring in her step than before.

-

The next girl to impress everyone was surprisingly a freshman: Aquaria. However, Aja wasn't pleased at this. Sure, she was quite talented, but she had a vibe about her that made her seem, frankly, unlikable. She looked fairly similar to Miz Cracker and had pretty much the same skill set as her, which was even more annoying; there would certainly be fights over who got who.

Kameron was another very impressive student. She had the biggest muscles that Aja had ever seen on a girl, especially someone of a sophomore age, and was strong enough to lift a person by herself (which she demonstrated on Cynthia). She seemed quite sweet, too, and her cheers were filled with enthusiasm.

The cheerleaders went through several other girls before they finally landed on another talented person, and that was Monét. Aja knew Monét through Bob and Luis, and knew she'd tried out for the team a couple times in the past. She had no idea why they hadn't taken her on previously; her stunts were absolutely phenomenal.

Yuhua was straight after that, and was just as charismatic. Her cheering was loud and clear, which was exactly what they were looking for, and her stunts were some of the smoothest they'd seen so far.

To finish, there was The Vixen.

Cynthia had first addressed her as simply, "Vixen", which she wasn't pleased about.

" _The_ Vixen," she had corrected immediately, which at first gave her the same air as Aquaria. However, after that, she was perfectly nice, and her performance was sharp. Aja would watch out for her if she ended up with the Glamazons. Shea had been to middle school with her and they were close friends, and apparently she was notorious for her dancing.

-

"Is that everyone?" Aja asked, trying to peer through the door that The Vixen was leaving through. The rest of the girls that had auditioned were still standing there restlessly, some tapping one foot or shifting between legs to stand on.

"I guess so," Cynthia said.

"What's the verdict?" Shea questioned. “Does everyone know who they want?"

"I think it's obvious who the best are," Alexis said. "I mean, everyone else was boring as fuck compared to Cracker, Kameron, Monét, Yuhua, and The Vixen. _And_ , dare I say it, Aquaria."

"Do we really have to have her?" Valentina complained. Being a freshman herself, she was perfectly aware of Aquaria's irritating tendencies. Aja thought they would've been friends, considering that they were both up their own asses. Maybe Aquaria wasn't quite with the whole backstabbing thing yet.

"Someone has to take her," Shea said. "I think we should get first pick - we have two people leaving and you guys have four, so chances are you'll get at least one person you want."

Cynthia didn't seem happy about this, biting her bottom lip. However, she decided to just suck it up - she wasn't the one who had to deal with the new girls.

"Alright," she gave in. "You can have first pick."

Shea beamed, and instructed the rest of the Glamazons to head to the other side of the gym so they could discuss each performer. They sat down in a circle, hunching over to contain the volume.

"So, who's everyone's favourites?" Shea asked quietly. "Obviously, I have to go with my girl, The Vixen."

"I really like Cracker," Aja said. The tiny sophomore had really made an impression on her; she was so talented for such a young cheerleader, and according to Jaymes' anecdote, she was experienced too.

"I have to agree with Aja," Jaymes said. "Plus, I thought Kameron was great."

Alexis hummed in approval, nodding. "She could replace me as a base."

"I think The Vixen was great," Nina said. "But Monét was my favourite."

"I loved Yuhua," Sasha added, "and Miz Cracker. She'd be an amazing flyer."

"I agree. Cracker was one of the best, as was The Vixen," Charlie chimed in.

"So, we want Cracker?" Shea asked. "I've got to admit, she was pretty good." The rest of the squad nodded.

"I think our second pick should be Kameron," Aja advised. "Like Alexis said, she'd make a great base."

"I can see that happening," Sasha said.

Shea furrowed her eyebrows. "I'd love her too, but there's so many other girls that we could have on our team. It's a hard choice."

"They'd still be cheerleaders," Aja said. "But they'd be Bombers. And we're good with the Bombers now, so it's not a total travesty." Not to toot her own horn, but the peace treaty was all thanks to herself and Farrah.

"Yeah, only because you're banging one of them," Sasha teased, poking Aja in the shoulder. The group snickered, and Shea put her hand in front of her mouth so she wouldn't burst out laughing.

"Whoa!" Aja said, trying not to raise her voice louder than a normal speaking volume. "Who said we're _banging_?"

"You haven't yet?" Alexis asked. "Charlie and I totally thought you had."

Aja's forehead creased. "No, we haven't," she said. "Maybe that's weird for you, Alexis, but it's not that weird." She threw Alexis a half smile. She mocked offence, laughing a couple seconds later.

"Anyway - off topic," Aja said, concluding the very brief discussion. "Let's get back to the others."

The pushed themselves off of the ground and walked back over to the table where Cynthia, Eureka, and Valentina resided, their footsteps echoing throughout the mostly empty gym.

"Have y'all made a decision?" Eureka asked.

Aja nodded. "We want Cracker, first and foremost," she told them firmly. "And..."

"Kameron," Shea whispered to her, as did Sasha and Alexis a second later.

"Kameron," Aja repeated.

Cynthia wasn't totally devastated - she had girls who were just as talented, even though she wanted Miz Cracker the most. However, Aquaria was just as skilled, and the remaining Bombers would have to make do, especially with that attitude.

-

"How were auditions?" Farrah asked, strewn across her bed with one arm on her stomach, the other fiddling with the hem of Aja's cheer shirt. Aja was sitting next to her, the arm closest to Farrah's head propping her up.

"Mostly boring," Aja said. "But there were some really talented girls. You know Miz Cracker?"

Farrah's eyes lit up. "Of course," she exclaimed. "Last year, when Bob was on our team, she took us to a tournament where Cracker was performing - she was amazing!"

"We took her on," Aja said with a smile; she loved when Farrah got excited. "She's a Glamazon, now."

Farrah scowled. "Why not a Bomber?" she questioned.

Aja shrugged. "We got first pick."

"So, who's on my team?" she asked, eyes beaming. Aja just couldn't help but want to kiss her when she had that happy expression.

"Aquaria Needles, Yuhua Hamasaki, Monét X Change, and The Vixen. I don't know what her last name is," she replied. "And Kameron Michaels is the other Glamazon."

"I know Monét," she said. "Her and Cracker are, like, best friends. And I've spoken to Kameron a couple of times."

"They all seem really nice," she said. "Well, apart from Aquaria - she was quite full of herself." She let out a yawn; the stress and exhaustion of the auditions was finally catching up to her, and she was suddenly feeling tired. The gym contained nothing but harsh overhead lights, which really made her, and all the cheerleaders', eyes ache.

"Those auditions tiring you out, huh?" Farrah commented, shifting on the bed so that she was sitting up, opposite Aja. She caressed her cheek, sliding the pad of her thumb slowly over her skin and supporting her head with her fingers.

Aja nodded as she yawned again, her eyes closing in a slow blink, feeling very much how she imagined Farrah felt when she was indulged in this way.

"Can I make you feel better?" she asked, looking up through her lashes at her girlfriend. "Relieve some stress?"

Aja raised her eyebrows at her, suddenly perky, and stifling a disbelieving laugh - she'd never heard Farrah speak like that before, although part of her knew that Farrah could sweet talk her way through anything, as if sweet talk were her native language.

"Go ahead," Aja responded. "Relieve it."

Farrah pushed forward until her lips met Aja's, and her hands slid to her girlfriend's bare shoulders, her skin sunkissed and warm. She squeezed softly, her pastel pink, chipped nails digging into Aja's skin ever so slightly, and her lips matched the slow pace. Gently, but with confidence, Aja was pressed flush against the wall, her Dutch braids slightly uncomfortable against the flat surface, but she didn't mind - it was Farrah, who could always manage to distract her from something.

Farrah pulled away a couple of centimetres, immediately dipping her head towards Aja's neck, and the sudden, new contact sent a flame down her back, forcing out a shiver and an almost silent whimper.

Farrah smiled at the results; Aja could feel the twinge in her lips. "You okay?" she drawled, gliding her hands down from Aja's shoulders to her ribs, running her thumbs along the exposed parts.

Aja, far too distracted, suddenly realised she should reciprocate. Her hands dove to Farrah's thick, blonde hair, tugging lightly as an encouragement.

"I'm great," she breathed out, sighing heavily.

"Good," Farrah replied, planting soft kisses all the way down to Aja's collarbone, all previous kisses feeling suddenly cold without the contact.

Aja untangled her legs and wrapped them around Farrah's hips, feeling kind of ridiculous being the taller out of the two, but she didn't pay it much attention. Farrah took that as a cue to go further, her hands travelling even higher to the hem of Aja's cheer shirt. They both froze.

"Can I?" Farrah asked, tugging at the edges.

Aja thought for a second - what did she have to lose?

She nodded. "Do it," she affirmed.

With a little help, Farrah managed to lift the shirt over Aja's head, the warm summer air hitting her chest. _Maybe_ , she thought to herself, _Alexis had foreshadowed this during the auditions today._

Farrah glanced down at her chest: the bra was a pretty simple, everyday-wear design, but the blonde looked at it as if it were an intricate, lace garment that someone had slaved over for hours. Aja pulled Farrah's face to her own again, kissing her more forcefully and tightening her grip around her waist. Farrah's hands wandered further upwards, playing with the material of Aja's bra, sliding forward until her right hand was on the cup, and she squeezed gently.

Aja broke away, gasping lightly, her forehead leaning against Farrah's.

"Is this okay?" Farrah asked, her hand supporting the material still. "Have you done this before?"

Embarrassed, Aja shook her head. She'd never even had a relationship before, let alone an occurrence like this. “I’m okay, though,” she said, her voice coming out more timid than she’d expected. She wasn’t used to sounding this vulnerable.

“You sure, baby?”

She nodded quickly before diving back in, bouncing off the springboard into the kiss once more, further confirming her answer. Farrah squeezed the same place again but with more force, eliciting a moan that surprised both of them.

Aja reached around the back of Farrah’s shirt and pulled it up from the hem, peeling it off of her without complaint, the two of them only separating so it could be removed completely. Farrah’s skin felt hot and smooth, reminding Aja of honey. She was just as sweet, too.

Before she closed her eyes again, she noticed the vast amount of freckles dotted along the tops of Farrah’s shoulders and back. They were barely visible when she had something like her cheer shirt on, and she didn’t realise how many there actually were. It was cute.

Farrah’s hands travelled further down, snaking across Aja’s waist and landing on her ass. She began to undo the zipper on her cheer skirt, but not before breaking away to check with Aja that this was alright. And it was. She continued to tug the zip, which was getting stiff after three years of wear, and soon the item of clothing had been removed, tossed over the bedpost along with her shirt and any worries that they had.

“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” Farrah said softly, kissing the corner of Aja’s jaw. Aja beamed as Farrah pulled away to regard her, her eyes glazing over her chest.

“Hmm,” she feigned thought, “I think you have, but I’d love to hear it again.”

Farrah giggled; a gentle sound that vibrated through both girls’ chests, creating a warm feeling of closeness. “You’re beautiful,” she reiterated. “Inside and out.” She craned her neck up again to reach Aja’s lips, holding on to her shoulders for support.

Aja pulled back. “Let me make this easier for you,” she laughed. She leant them to the side so that Farrah’s head slowly fell into the pillow, and Aja positioned herself above her, straddling the blonde’s hips. “Better?” she asked, smirking.

“Infinitely,” Farrah said. She pulled Aja down with her index finger under her chin, resuming the kiss, before both of her hands took their place along Aja’s back, running along the length of her torso as the kiss deepened. Instead of being full of energy like Farrah had “planned”, Aja felt like she could just melt into nothing right now, under Farrah’s gentle but confident touch. There was no place she would’ve rather been in that moment.

Farrah’s hands followed the shape of her figure, all the way to Aja’s ass once again, squeezing with more intent, her nails marking the skin with no shame. Afraid of making a noise that Farrah’s mom could hear, Aja attempted to distract herself, hooking her finger around Farrah’s bra strap and playing with the delicate lace that decorated it. It felt natural, almost calming, and Farrah didn’t seem to mind - if anything, she knew it was nerves.

Aja’s lips left Farrah’s momentarily, and the blonde tilted her head towards the lack of touch, practically begging for it. Instead, Aja dove downwards, directing her lips to Farrah’s neck; she sighed, sounding relieved, and muttered a very quiet, “ _Fuck_ ”, when Aja trailed down to her collarbone, dragging her lips across heated skin that was becoming blotchy. She kissed all the way down to her chest, pausing at her bra and resuming again over the plane of her toned stomach. Within a matter of seconds, her lips reached the border of Farrah’s skirt - she didn’t dare go any further, no matter how loud the voice in the back of her head was screaming at her to do so.

Farrah, fighting an urge as well, slightly disappointedly motioned Aja to come back up to eye level, using one hand to tug her upwards. But with the disappointment came relief; she valued Aja’s comfort over anything, and for someone who rarely expressed how she felt, she could tell that her girlfriend wasn’t ready in the slightest just by the way she suddenly froze below her navel.

“Are you comfortable right now?” Farrah checked.

Aja nodded. “Of course,” she replied. She noticed how swollen Farrah’s lips were. She also clocked the bright purple lipstick she always wore with her cheer outfit that ran down like animal tracks across the whole front of her body, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

“What is it?” Farrah asked, looking down at whatever Aja was staring at. Once she noticed the trail of makeup, she joined in with the laughter. “I look like a radioactive leopard or something.”

Aja sat back up, tracing the path of her lipstick with one finger. Something about its presence gave her a sense of pride; she’d left her mark on her, physically and probably emotionally. It reminded her that Farrah was hers (in a non-possessive way, obviously), and that she was Farrah’s.

“What now?” Farrah asked, bringing Aja away from her thoughts. She was looking up at Aja with great, big, doe-eyes. Her breathing was slightly laboured and her heart-rate was still through the roof, she could feel it all under the one finger laying on her stomach. Aja thought she looked absolutely beautiful.

She shook her head. “Nothing,” she lied. She wasn’t going to spew some sentimental crap after everything that had just happened, and even thinking about doing so made her cringe internally.

Despite knowing that “nothing” was certainly “something”, Farrah decided to not press on. Besides, if it were serious, Aja would tell her at some point. Instead, she sat back up, pulling Aja towards her. She looked into her eyes and then at her lips, where the purple lipstick had been just a few minutes before, and kissed her very softly, and Aja felt a gentle smile appear on the other girl’s lips. She raised her hands and tangled them in blonde waves which were now slightly mussed up, bringing her face closer and deepening the kiss for the millionth time that afternoon. It had been so long since either of them felt so close with another person.

Just as Farrah was pressing Aja against the mattress, the sound of a door moving across carpet interrupted them. Aja’s blood froze in her veins and her eyes shot open, and Farrah grabbed her t-shirt, as if that would do anything. Aja propped herself up on her elbows when she heard no other noise, only to realise what had caused it.

“Fuck _off_ , Fluffy,” Farrah huffed, exasperated.

Aja laughed at her annoyance, and the calico cat chirped at her as soon as he saw her face, running over and waiting for Aja to extend her hand for a scratch.

Farrah had received Fluffy as a birthday present when she was eight years old. Needless to say, he wasn’t what poor little Farrah had expected a cat to be. He refused cuddles, petting, any toys that were bought for him, and often resided in his bed, playing with something he’d found himself. However, after Aja had been to Farrah’s house several times, he immediately warmed up to her, much to the aggravation of Farrah - he absolutely adored her (except, who wouldn’t?).

“Go away, you annoying cat,” Farrah demanded not-very-threateningly, sitting up and pointing her finger at the feline in question.

“He just wants some attention,” Aja said. “Don’t you! You adorable, little thing,” she cooed. She always caved in front of animals. “Hey, you two have something in common!”

Farrah’s jaw dropped open, and she swore she could see Fluffy smirking at her menacingly. But she knew Aja was right.

Aja patted the bed so that Fluffy would jump up, and he did so, purring and rubbing his head against Aja’s. He rolled over next to her, inviting her in for a belly rub.

“ _Such a little cockblock_ ,” Farrah muttered under her breath, although Aja clearly heard it, but she was too busy stroking Fluffy to care.

A few minutes went by, filled with contented purring and what could be considered hate speech from Farrah directed at her cat. Aja was happy, though. She had her girlfriend (albeit, not as amused) right above her, the cheer teams were more or less organised, and, most importantly, there was a very pleased calico next to her.

Farrah huffed for what was probably the seventh time in those few minutes, tired of the attention not being on her, but instead on this miserable, grumpy animal. Aja looked up at her, raising one eyebrow, and her eyes met Farrah’s annoyed ones.

“You want to be the focus now?” she joked. It wasn’t unusual for Farrah to stir up a fuss when Fluffy was brought into the mix. Aja just loved him too much, and gave in far too easily. Farrah pouted, nodding, and shooting a glare towards an oblivious Fluffy.

Aja pushed herself upwards and shuffled along the bed, pulling Farrah with her before lying down, the blonde following suit. She smiled, content, and tucked a wisp of purple hair behind Aja’s ear that had escaped from her braid. Aja wrapped her arms around her, the feeling of skin on skin still unnatural to her, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just new.

“You remind me of Tinkerbell,” Aja blurted out.

“Hmm?” Farrah hummed. “Why’s that?”

“You need attention or you’ll die.” Aja laughed when Farrah let out a noise of disagreement. “And you’re small.”

“I’m not _that_ small!” Farrah protested, but the fact that the top of Farrah’s head only reached Aja’s chin begged to differ.

“See, you didn’t disagree with the attention thing,” she countered.

“Shut up and cuddle me,” she said, grumbling, and pulled Aja closer to her. Aja did as she was told, wrapping her arms further around her girlfriend and stroking her hair. Meanwhile, Farrah traced lines across Aja’s skin, their paths having little meaning, but were subconsciously drawn denser in the places Aja had mentioned one night where she wanted tattoos. Her finger glided perfectly, like ink to paper.

-

Aja expected herself to be asleep after such an exhausting day, but that wasn’t the case right now.

After washing the stray lipstick off in the shower, Farrah had got changed into pyjamas, getting into bed and forcing some affection on Fluffy, who’d surprisingly stayed in Farrah’s room for so long. Before that, she’d chucked Aja something to sleep in: an old t-shirt and shorts, the t-shirt previously belonging to Aja because she gave it away to her; everything else Farrah owned was slightly too small for her. After getting changed, they’d both crawled under the covers with the intention of sleeping, but Aja couldn’t seem to do it.

She was lying there on her back, staring up at the numerous Farrah Fawcett and Christina Aguilera posters that adorned the room, pressed against the cool, pink wall next to Farrah’s narrow bed. Farrah was turned to the side, her arms wrapped around Aja’s midsection and her head resting on her shoulder. Aja’s arm held her snugly against herself, outlining the curve of her shoulders.

With her free hand, she reached for her phone from underneath her pillow. Doing absolutely nothing was boring, so the least she could do was tire herself out by actually doing _some_ thing, even if it wasn’t productive. She turned down the brightness on her screen so she wouldn’t wake a fast-asleep Farrah, and clicked on various social media until she found something vaguely interesting. After a while, she settled on Instagram, and mindlessly scrolled through posts in the hopes that her boredom would eventually soothe her to sleep. Beside her, Farrah remained unawake, her mouth slightly open, and Aja was envious.

After scrolling for a minute or so, Aja came across a photo of some old friends (if you could even call them friends anymore): Kandy, Momo, and Dahlia. Once again, they were hanging out without her somewhere, and the photo made them look like they were having the time of their life. The last time they’d invited Aja somewhere was over six months ago, and all the “invite” really was was, “We need to see each other more!”. Aja had made efforts to see them, she really had, but they always seemed to be busy. In times like this, she was more than grateful for Sasha. Even though they rarely hung out either, they were always in contact no matter what, and they could tell each other pretty much anything.

It was then that something clicked in her mind. Without so much as a second thought, Aja clicked on Kandy’s username which took her to her profile, and she firmly pressed the _Unfollow_ button. She did the same with the other girls, and once her feed was clear of selfish friends, she felt herself breathe more easily. Years of friendship were gone at the click of a button, but there was no sense of loss. Besides, she was pretty sure they’d all unfollowed her at some point as well.

She tucked her phone back under her pillow and closed her eyes, sighing heavily. She opened them again a few seconds later and looked over at Farrah, peaceful, breathing slowly and steadily. A smile grabbed at the corners of her lips.

“I love you,” she whispered, even though everyone in the house was asleep. It wasn’t like anyone would hear.

“You’re the sweetest, you know that?” she continued just as quietly, not expecting any kind of response from her, but she felt it was important she said what she was thinking. “You deserve everything good that happens to you. And even more than that.”

Fluffy suddenly awoke and stretched his legs before jumping off of the bed. He didn’t seem happy that Aja was still directing all her attention on Farrah. Maybe the two were too similar to ever get along.

“One day, I want to get you a cat that will actually appreciate you,” Aja told her sleeping figure. “I’ll make sure it’s the nicest cat in the world, and it’ll be any colour you want.” Fluffy opened the door with his paw to exit the room, probably outraged at what he was hearing.

“See? He’s an asshole. He loves me, but he doesn’t love you, and what kind of animal wouldn’t love you? An asshole one.” She kissed the top of Farrah’s head, her hair as soft as silk against her lips. “You deserve everything.”

With that, Aja closed her eyes for good, her lids becoming more and more heavy. Her heart was warm and buzzing with a sensation she couldn’t name, but she always felt it around Farrah. And, right now, it was lulling her to sleep.

In moments like this one, Aja asked herself how she got so lucky. How so much drama and prejudiced hatred turned into a blossoming relationship, and how she’d fallen so hard. How, if she hadn’t been walking home so late, none of this would’ve happened, and the Glamazons and the Bombers would’ve still been sworn enemies.

With one last gentle and weary squeeze, Aja practically passed out from tiredness. The thoughts clouding her mind cleared, and a beautiful view of sleep was revealed.

Farrah pretended she hadn’t heard a single word. She pretended that the sudden light of Aja’s phone hadn’t woken her up, and she wasn’t kept awake by her girlfriend’s little monologue. She pretended that she didn’t want to break character and hug her until her arms gave out, and she pretended she wasn’t grateful for everything. She pretended she wasn’t about to cry from happiness, as she felt both of them drifting off back to sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise a little as the new cheerleaders are integrated with the current ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: so as I was writing this I realised that each team was losing three cheerleaders each, not two vs four :)))))))) so please pretend that Monét is now a part of the Glamazons. Thank you for dealing with my lack of consistency.  
> A/N 2: again, sorry to the ao3 readers for uploading this late!! i completely forgot until today.

Aja was absolutely elated to find out two days later that cheer practice was back on for the last three weeks of school. Sure, it was only six sessions, not even double digits, but it felt so good that she could cheer again.

 

Cynthia, as head of the team for the time being, was set on teaching the newest members of the now-Hollywood Showgirls a few techniques, as well as getting the current ones engaged in time for September. Meanwhile, the rest of the seniors weren’t invited to attend, and went to the last few classes they had.

 

“I want everyone to pay attention,” she announced proudly in front of them all, “because whoever wins Head Cheerleader this year will obviously be taking over from me, and we don’t know who that is yet.”

 

With the help of Shea and Sasha, Cynthia had compiled a list of things to do over the next three weeks. It looked a little like this, although messier and with some scribbles here and there.

 

  1. Order new cheer uniforms — 3 Bombers, 3 Glamazons.
  2. FINALLY order **NEW** uniform — “Showgirls” printed on the front, with pink instead of purple/orange (don’t forget the bows!).
  3. Teach some cheers to the new girls, and start to plan a new routine.
  4. Decide positions for the new girls.



 

Cynthia went through some of the basic moves with the new cheerleaders, who were stuck wearing their normal gym clothes for now. Aja couldn't help but gawk over Kameron's arms, fully exposed by her short-sleeved t-shirt. Behind the auburn-haired girl, she spied Cracker doing the same.

 

They were all masters at cartwheeling within half an hour (although Cracker and Aquaria were already) and most of them could perform a round off, too. They weren't going to get into the hard stuff like backflips, splits, etc. for now; Cynthia was silently putting her faith in the rest of the team to do that. Next, she split up the six newcomers into Bombers and Glamazons, and handed Cracker, Monét, and Kameron to Aja and Shea, hopefully because she believed in them. Aja liked to think that her and Shea were the best on the team.

 

"Can you guys teach them some cheers?" Cynthia called over from the other side of the gym.

 

Aja nodded, and motioned to Sasha to join them. She was always quick on her toes when it came to words, so if they were stuck for material, she'd certainly come through.

 

"So," Shea began, “we can just teach you guys some of the cheers we already do just so you can get used to the feel of them, you know?"

 

All three girls nodded a little tentatively, and Kameron scratched the shaved side of her head nervously. Cracker seemed a little more enthusiastic, as she'd done just that in her audition. Her and Monét smiled at each other, already close friends since before joining the team, and Aja noticed how isolated Kameron looked, despite trying to hide that.

 

Shea and Aja demonstrated the cheers they'd done last season, complete with some simple, expressive moves, while Sasha stood and observed, thinking of some extra material that could be used later in September when they were all back at school after the summer. _Summer_ \- the creeping anticipation of the results of the tryouts snuck up on her; it was always in the back of all the girls' minds, and they were hoping to every single god in existence that they'd got through. Leaving it until August was absolutely torturous.

 

A few minutes passed, and then Sasha was called out to for some more cheers. Aja stood back as Shea and Sasha conversed (and also made very obvious heart-eyes at each other) about the content before teaching some of it to the other three. While Aja had been doing the same just moments ago, she felt a sense of pride at the fact that she had such good performers taking the spots of Alexis, Nina, and Charlie. Of course, she loved those seniors dearly after spending three years with them, but it would be refreshing to have some new members, and Kameron, Monét, and Miz Cracker were a glass of fresh, cold water for the team.

 

While she sat and cooled off, she took her time to observe what the other girls were doing. Cynthia, Eureka, and Trinity were continuing to teach The Vixen moves (except Eureka and Trinity seemed to just be bickering in that moment), except this was the more adventurous stuff like front flips and no-handed cartwheels. In another corner, Farrah and Jaymes were focusing on the more basic actions with Aquaria and Yuhua, although only God knew why Aquaria was over there when she was just as capable of learning the more advanced movements. And finally, on the right hand side of the gym, Valentina was sitting grumpily on her phone, either unassigned to something, or simply not bothered about helping anyone.

 

Aja observed what Farrah and Jaymes were doing from her position on her floor, flyaways from her ponytail sticking to her forehead. It was simple front rolls and cartwheels, easy enough to manage, and Aja had no idea how the two new Bombers weren't completely distracted by her beauty. Aja was just sitting there like an exaggerated Disney cartoon, giant hearts beating out of her eyes, her head laying in her hand lazily.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Valentina's glare boring into the side of her face, silently judging her from across the room. And, almost simultaneously, Aquaria's supercilious eyes landed on Miz Cracker as she stumbled on one of the moves, almost toppling over before Kameron cautiously leapt in and caught her. Behind them, the blonde let a laugh slip through her fingers. Their attitudes were almost uncanny.

 

"Girl, don't worry about her," Monét told Cracker once she'd brushed the whole moment off, blushing slightly when Kameron let go of her. "She's over there doing the basic shit, and we're over here doing cheers."

 

"Yeah, she's probably just jealous. Maybe," Kameron added.

 

Aja peered over at Aquaria, narrowing her eyes at her to silently let her know that she's was going to be messing with the wrong team if she continued. Aquaria simply didn't make eye contact, neither with Aja nor with Farrah when the blonde tried to assert some dominance by standing taller than usual and folding her arms over her chest, warning her of the same thing.

 

Cracker was looking back at the exchange, lines etched into her forehead and her bottom lip snared between her teeth. Aquaria didn’t pay her any mind, instead playing it all off and unconvincingly getting back to the practicing.

 

-

 

“You okay?” Kameron asked Miz Cracker once they got back into the changing rooms. Despite them all being friends now, the rooms were still separated by the showers into Bombers and Glamazons. Both girls were grateful for that right now.

 

Cracker looked up at the taller girl, who had a mix of frustration and concern on her face, and mirrored her expression. “Are you talking about Aquaria?” she asked.

 

“Duh,” she said. “What’s her deal with you, anyway?”

 

Cracker shrugged. “I’m alright, I guess. And I’m not sure. Ever since the start of first semester, she’s just been on my back.”

 

“Monét told me you guys were friends in middle school,” Kameron said, a little confused.

 

“More or less,” she responded. “I think she got pissed because I joined the same gymnastics group as her in September, saying something about me copying her. And then I guess she got pissed about us both being on the cheer squad.”

 

Kameron shook her head. “She’s a freshman. Why would you want to copy her?”

 

Cracker put her head against the cooling wall. “I don’t fucking know,” she sighed. “She just-“ she let out a disgruntled noise, “- it’s frustrating. I have no idea what I’ve done wrong.”

 

“She’s-“

 

“And now I’m gonna have to spend every Wednesday and Thursday after school with her! I thought I’d be fine because she’s a grade below but apparently not-“

 

“Cracker-“

 

“And-“

 

“Brianna-“ Kameron stopped abruptly, expecting to be cut off like earlier, but Cracker stopped as well, staring up at her as if she’d proposed the answer to all her questions. “Sorry- Can I call you that?”

 

Over the summer after freshman year had finished, Cracker had suddenly begun to hate the name Brianna. She didn't know why; it was a pretty name, and "Bob and Brianna" had a nice ring to it, at least that's what her parents thought. But nevertheless, she simply decided to go by her last name, Cracker, and soon Miz was added to the front of it once her friends started to play around with it. She hadn't been called Brianna in so long that if she were an animal, her ears would've shot backwards, yet still been alert. Her and Kameron weren't incredibly close friends, either - they had chatted in class at the most. The name sounded foreign, but somehow comforting. Natural.

 

"I, uh, I don't know, Kameron," she said. "I'm just stressed, I don't have time to think about it."

 

"I'm sorry," Kameron said softly, but there was an element of panic to her voice.

 

Cracker swiped her hand at her, focusing her gaze on the clothes she was stuffing into her backpack. "Don't be," she said. "It's okay."

 

The shorter of the two swung her bag over her shoulder and made her way to Monét who was on the other side of the room.

 

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Cracker said, her tone almost questioning.

 

"Yeah, of course," Kameron responded. She cursed at herself for sounding too eager, but she couldn't help it. Kameron had never had heaps of friends due to her reservation, and she didn't want to blow another opportunity. She didn't have an in between, but she'd have to find one if she wanted to actually get somewhere with cheerleading, and with trying to make friends.


End file.
